Exceptionally Ordinary
by sprwholock44
Summary: Extraordinary circumstances lead to the Lovegood family raising a young Harry Potter. With a real family (and Luna for a sister) and a not so ordinary upbringing, who will Harry become? How will Hogwarts react to a smarter more eccentric Harry trying to save them from the Nargles? Oh and He-Who-Has-Too-Many-Names (Voldemort) too of course! AU Independent!Ravenclaw!Harry
1. Chapter 1

Exceptionally Ordinary

Chapter 1

The normally joyful Lovegood family was unusually glum, especially considering where they were. The day after the wizarding holiday of All Hallows Eve should have been exciting on its own, but something was causing the occupants of the Leaky Cauldron to be even more jubilant. Surprisingly, the cause for their joy was the same cause for the Lovegood family's despair. The general populace of wizards were so excited that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was gone that they forgot who sacrificed themselves to attain that victory.

Pandora Lovegood sat next to her husband near the back of the crowd and stared into the fire next to her. Xenophilius cradled their child, letting Pandora have a moment of peace. After all, it wasn't every day that one's closest friend was murdered.

Pandora had been a socially awkward girl at Hogwarts and Lilly Evans, now Potter, had been the only one nice to her. They had soon bonded over their fascination with runes and spell crafting. Pandora had never been let into Lily's tightly knit group of Gryffindor friends, but they still remained close, even after graduating. Pandora had looked forward to their future families getting along. She had dreamed of couples dates, wedding dates, and even play dates between their future children. Pandora knew she was a dreamer, but was still dismayed when her dreams shattered in the face of the Wizarding War. Like the brave Gryffindors they were, Lily and James had joined the Order of the Phoenix with fervor. It seemed that Pandora's aspirations would never be, until Lily's son had been born. But even then, the Potters were on the run and Pandora had never even met young Harry.

Quietly letting her tears fall, Pandora gazed into the fire and let regret for what could have been fill her. Xenophilius watched his love's grief, feeling helpless all the while. They had gone into Gringotts when they hadn't been notified of a will reading for the Potters. Pandora had been outraged when the goblins had told her that the wills had been sealed. They wouldn't even tell her where Harry was staying. Pandora and her family had retreated to The Leaky Cauldron, uncertain of what else they could do.

After staring off into space for several more minutes, Pandora finally turned to Xenophilius and muttered,

"Well, Xeno, I suppose we had better get Luna home." Xenophilius smiled sadly at his wife and said,

"Of course, my Panda." Pandora couldn't help the small grin that escaped at Xeno's use of her pet name.

With Luna now in hand, Pandora and her husband left the bustling Leaky Cauldron. Instead of flooing back to their house, they took the London exit. Pandora insisted on using Muggle diapers (" _I feel like if I don't do it myself, then I'm not doing it right_ ") so they had to pick up some more. This decision turned out to not be the best one as, in typical Lovegood fashion, the family stuck out quite a bit.

Pandora wore a royal purple robe because she believed that color conveyed grief best as it is believed that as a spirit leaves their body, their aura is purple. Xenophilius, wore a bright blue colored robe in an attempt to convey his sadness, but it came off more vibrant than he had originally thought. The small family stood out like a sore thumb amongst the blacks and greys of London. Normally the Lovegoods would not have cared less about the stares, but something was different this time.

Across the street, a heavily breathing obese man was staring them down. His red face and beady eyes gave him the look of some sort of mad man. Pandora normally wouldn't have cared about the nasty stare, but then the whale of a man came blundering toward them. The Lovegoods couldn't fathom what the tubby man could possibly want from them. He stomped right in front of the couple and shoved a small bundle to Xenophilius. He didn't say anything else, but Pandora swore she could hear him grumble something like,

" … _be with his own kind_."

Before anyone could say anything, the fat man turned around and walked away. Recovering first, Pandora began to peer into the bundle. She was so shocked all she could think to say as she saw a sleeping baby in the bundle was,

"But we already have one."

-EOEOEOEO-

 _Earlier that Morning_

Some people hate routine. Some hate the monotony of sameness, the unoriginality, or fitting the mold. The Dursleys were not these people. They loved the mold, they encouraged their son to think inside the box, and they were the definition of normal. All occupants of Number 4 Privet Drive followed a strict routine. Even Dudley cried on cue every morning.

When someone disturbed that routine, heaven help them. As a matter of fact, Vernon Dursley had yelled at the milkman until he cried just last week. So it was to the detriment of everyone that the Dursley house routine was disturbed by an unwelcome bundle on their door step.

In a matter of minutes, Vernon had yelled to his wife, taken the thing inside, read the letter, and had grown irate enough to push his blood pressure through the roof.

"How dare they do this to us?! I thought your freakish sister and their kind would never be involved in our normal lives?!" Petunia Dursley was unsure what to say in response. She would never say she was sad to hear of the death of her sister, but it was a hard pill to swallow.

"Vernon, dear, why can't we just keep the boy? He doesn't even have to be around our Dinky Duddydums! We can keep him in the cupboard. No one has to kno-"

"But _I will know_! That stupid brat will always be… _abnormal_!" Vernon spat the last part out like he would a piece of grizzle from his meat. Petunia sighed helplessly. Once Vernon set his mind on something, it was hard to change it. They debated for a while if the neighbors had seen the freak, if they should take it to an orphanage, or call the police.

"No, none of those will work. They could find us and force us to raise the darn thing!" Vernon thought for a moment more until one could almost see a lightbulb pop over Vernon's straw yellow hair.

"He should be with his own kind!" Petunia looked at him with confusion until Vernon continued.

"When I go into London for business, I see these sorts of freaks all the time! All I have to do is drop him off with the first ones I spot and we are right as rain!" Vernon exclaimed all this a little too cheerily, and Petunia couldn't help wondering if Vernon was alright in the head. After all, he would send back his meat at restaurants if it was even a little too salty. But Petunia wouldn't dare have his crazy turned on her, so she wished him well as he left for London. She couldn't help hoping he would return and everything would go back to the way it normally was.

After struggling to find somewhere to put his car, Vernon walked the streets of London already in a foul mood. He searched for far longer than he had expected to. Never had he been so disappointed to see so many normal people. It was only after marching up a steeper street that he spotted them. They were perfect. The couple was so abnormal that it almost hurt for Vernon to look at them. They both had white blond hair and were dressed in what looked like brightly colored bath robes to his eyes. One even had a necklace made out of what looked like bottle caps. The two were even carrying a child. In Vernon's mind this made them at least responsible freaks. With angry fervor, Vernon marched up to the two and gave the baby to the abnormal man. Vernon realized he hadn't thought through what he would say to the freaks when he found them. Hoping that the letter enclosed was enough, Vernon muttered,

"You lot take him. He should be with his own kind."

He then turned quickly away, anxious to be done with all that abnormality. He then went home, watched some tellie, and completely forgot about the strange boy with the lightning bolt scar. Little did he know that this small action had a ripple-effect and the wizarding world to never be the same.

-EOEOEOEO-

The Lovegood house in Ottery St Catchpole had increasingly become more vibrant since the addition of little Harry. It had only been a little over two weeks since the fat man had thrust him into their lives, but to the Lovegoods, it seemed like he had always been there. The enclosed letter that had come with little Harry had been all too vague for the Lovegoods' liking. Fortunately, they knew enough about the Potter's predicament to put two and two together.

Not so fortunately, with this understanding came the knowledge that their new member to the family could be taken away at any moment. Pandora had cried in outrage at such an idea. No one would dare take her newest child from her! Knowing his wife, Xenophilius was not as surprised at her reaction as one should have been. His wife had such a nurturing spirit that Xeno couldn't bring himself to separate the Potter baby from her.

The Lovegood couple had lost a good amount of sleep wondering how they could keep their little Harry with them. After Pandora had wasted her teatime worrying away about what to do, she suddenly had an idea.

"Xeno, my dear! Where are you?" Xenophilius had been holding Harry and showing him around the grounds of the house when Pandora found him. She wandered outside with enough time to hear him whispering to Harry,

"-and there are the Dirigible plums! They help one better accept things of the extraordinary nature. They are easily squished, so never play with them. Perhaps I should put up a sign…" Pandora couldn't help giggle at her husband's antics. He may be a strange one, but she loved him for it.

"Xeno, there you are!" She exclaimed as if she hadn't been watching them for a few moments. Xenophilius looked up in surprise. He couldn't bring himself to be embarrassed at having been caught talking to a baby.

"Panda, darling! Aren't you supposed to be having teatime? You know without giving yourself a proper break, Wrackspurts can become more troublesome!" Pandora couldn't help but smile at her husband's way of showing he cared.

"I was just having teatime when I wandered upon a lovely thought!" Xenophilius' eyebrows rose in excitement at that. He loved lovely thoughts. They were just so… lovely!

"Pray tell what have you wandered upon?"

"Well, remember when I started inventing spells and I had to get a permit to create spells from the Ministry and Gringotts? Well, when I was filling out the paper work, I found a guardianship permit among the permits at Gringotts!"

"What in the name of crumple horned snorkacks is a guardianship permit?" Xenophilius had been nodding along with Pandora's idea until that last part. He had never imagined that such a permit existed.

"Well, dear, I didn't really ask about it as I had then noticed a pamphlet for glasses that help one see disillusioned people." Xenophilius nodded in understanding at being distracted by such a fascinating idea. Perhaps it could be used for people to be able to see the influence of Wrackspurts… Realizing his thoughts were wandering away from the point, Xenophilius shook his head to get focused.

"Why my dearest Panda, you may have wandered upon a solution to our problem!" he exclaimed with enthusiasm. It was with this same enthusiasm that the Lovegoods jumped back inside their house, packed up Luna and Harry, and used the floo network to get to Gringotts bank as quickly as possible.

-EOEOEOEO-

After making a small scene in the Gringotts bank atrium, one of the goblin tellers had ushered the Lovegood family into a private room. The Lovegood couple seemed obliviously unaware to how their vibrant robes, crying children, and excited requests to speak to someone had caused a ruckus in the usually quiet bank. While they waited for one of the goblins to see them, Xenophilius absently bounced little Luna on his knee. Her big blue eyes were wide in wonder at the new scenery and it was only Xenophilius' ministrations that kept her from trying to touch everything in sight. Though considerably bigger than Luna, Harry still managed to look small curled up in Pandora's arms. His previous crying had exhausted his little body so he had promptly fallen asleep. While the babies were otherwise entertained, the Lovegood couple had decided to start discussing the idea of inventing glasses that could help people see and avoid Wrackspurts. Their discussion had gotten quite animated, so it was a strange sight that greeted the goblin Nagnok.

The goblin took his elevated seat behind his desk and patiently waited for the family to notice his presence. It seemed that the pair were in their own little world, so Nagnok had to resort to clearing his throat loudly to get their attention.

"Mr. and Mrs. Lovegood, how may I help you?" Pandora's usually unfocused eyes burned with a resolute intensity as she declared,

"We would like to request a guardianship permit for our young charge here." Nagnok's usually stoic face betrayed his disbelief with his raised eyebrow in response to her statement. Guardianship permits were very rare as it required many unique circumstances coming together for it to be needed. After a long pause, Nagnok said,

"I see. Now, Mrs. Lovegood, are you aware of the conditions that need to be met to even qualify for such a permit?" Pandora's previous enthusiasm withered slightly as she blinked at the goblin.

"…not particularly… no." Nagnok sighed in response and removed his glasses. He believed the eccentric couple was wasting his time, but he might as well explain everything to them.

"A guardianship permit is only granted when a magical orphan does not have any family to care for it, the child's parents had no acceptable will to put guardians in place, or the child is rejected by previous unfit guardians. This practice was put in place to help orphans of war, but many magical families put emergency wills in place because of this past war that only recently ended. So you see, it would be almost impossible for your 'charge', as you put it, to meet these qualifications." Nagnok finished his explanation expecting to see disappointment. He was not expecting Mrs. Lovegood's smile to get even wider than thought possible.

"Let me explain Mr…" the goblin impatiently gestured to the plaque on his desk. At least Pandora had the decency to look bashful as she continued,

"Nagnok. Our charge is the last surviving member of the Potter family." At this she turned the sleeping Harry to face Nagnok. The goblin couldn't help the gasp that escaped him at seeing the infamous lightning bolt scar. Pandora then went on to explain how they had been wandering Muggle London when an obese muggle man had thrust Harry upon them. They then passed over the letter that had accompanied Harry from none other than Albus Dumbledore. After reading the letter, Nagnok gathered as much composure as he could muster and said,

"Mr. and Mrs. Lovegood, we at Gringotts Wizarding Bank thank you for bringing this to our attention. However, this matter should be dealt with by a goblin of higher caliber than myself. If you will wait here for a moment more, I will look further into this situation and bring it before my superiors."

Nagnok then rose from his desk and departed without another word. He had been working hard to contain his anger, so leaving had been the best option.

As he moved into the Gringotts archive room, Nagnok went over all that had been said. With even more consideration of the situation, he grew even more infuriated. The Ancient and Noble House of Potter was one of their most important clients. Nagnok discovered through the archives that Harry Potter had been left to Vernon Dursley and Petunia Dursley née Evans. The fact that the heir to this prestigious House had been left to magic hating muggles was insulting to the goblin nation. The Potter Scion should have been placed with whoever had been appointed to be his guardian in the Potter's will. However, to Nagnok's shock, the Potter will had been sealed from being viewed or read. Upon further inquiry into the archives, it was discovered that Albus Dumbledore himself had sealed the will. With this information in hand, he decided to pass on the matter to Gringotts Bank Director Ragnock. Nagnok was content to leave the wand-bearer's meddlesome ways to some other goblin.

Director Ragnock had been shocked after finishing reading Nagnok's report. With haste, he made his way back to Nagnok's office to talk to the Lovegoods. All business, Ragnock entered the office, not expecting a paper airplane to hit him right on his nose. Xenophilius looked sheepishly over at the goblin as Luna giggled away on her father's lap. Ragnock sighed, realizing this was going to be a long meeting.

-EOEOEOEO-

"So you're saying that _the_ Albus Dumbledore purposefully put Harry with a muggle family? But why?" Pandora asked. Ragnock pinched his nose in impatience. The Lovegoods were a kind family, but their absentmindedness rubbed business-minded Ragnock the wrong way. They had been asking questions about every word he had said. An intended short meeting had turned into a very long one with the Lovegoods there.

"Indeed, Mrs. Lovegood. We are unsure why Dumbledore would do such a thing, but it is certainly unlawful and we would normally be powerless to do anything." Xenophilius opened his mouth to ask another question, but Ragnock held up a clawed hand so he could continue.

"However, seeing as you two approached us, there might be more we can do. Since the Potter will is sealed and his previous guardians rejected him, it should be possible for you two to file for a guardianship permit." The Lovegood couple both started excitedly talking to each other, talking to Ragnock, and asking more blasted questions. Ragnock interrupted them and continued,

"We at Gringotts will need proof that Harry's previous guardians at least verbally consented to giving him to you- "

"Mr. Director Ragnock, sir! Will a memory be sufficient?" Pandora blurted.

"Indeed, it should be. Will you allow me to view it?" After viewing Pandora's memory of the event in a pensieve, Ragnock could conclude that Vernon's words, _"You lot take him. He should be with his own kind,"_ should be enough verbal consent for the guardianship permit.

Normally, the Goblin Nation refused to get involved in 'wand-bearer' business. However, Albus Dumbledore had almost jeopardized the wellbeing of the Potter House heir, had sealed a will entrusted to Gringotts, and had generally screwed with the banks' business too much to be tolerated. It was with relish that Director Ragnock decided to passively screw with Albus Dumbledore right back. With a devilish smirk, Ragnock said,

"Mr. and Mrs. Lovegood, it is very important to us at Gringotts Bank that the Heads of House of each Ancient and Noble family have knowledge of their responsibilities as Head, especially with their finances. Normally, each Pureblood household would tutor their heirs in the ways of finance. If you are granted guardianship, your family would be unaware of the inner workings of Potter finances. If I may, the bank would be able to make an arrangement where one of our representatives could instruct young Mister Potter. We wouldn't have to speak of his lineage, just of business related matters. Would this be acceptable to you?" Even though his proposition was phrased innocently enough, Director Ragnock could not pass up on a chance to influence the now called boy-who-lived and Heir to the House of Potter. Oblivious of the goblin's manipulations, the Lovegood pair could see nothing wrong with this and gave their consent to this. Ragnock's face broke into a devilish grin and signed a few papers.

"Xenophilius and Pandora Lovegood, it is with great pleasure that I grant you two guardianship permits over one Harry James Potter. We have contacts in the Ministry of Magic that should help the permit go through on their end as well. By the end of the week, Harry Potter shall be under your care until he reaches his coming of age at seventeen years old. Congratulations."

The excited exclamations from the Lovegood couple had woken the Potter boy from his slumber. The Potter Scion opened his bleary emerald green eyes and focused on Director Ragnock. The goblin director was surprised when the toddler's face split into a wide smile. It was almost as if the child knew that this very goblin had saved him from a horrible childhood and a harsh fate. Ragnock shook his head in disbelief at the child's knowing look. Pandora lovingly embraced Harry in joy and the moment was over. As Ragnock looked at the little family, he knew that he had made the correct choice. The last of the Ancient and Noble House of Potter finally had a family that would love him as much as he deserved.

Shaking himself from such sentimental thoughts, Ragnock tried to get the Lovegood family's attention.

"Well, we know that a certain Headmaster will be displeased with this turn of events. However, with this permit, there will be little he can do about it. I would not be surprised if he will try to use his influence to get Harry back to his horrible relatives. He will try to argue that Harry won't be safe with your family." The Lovegoods began to argue about this, Pandora being most vocal that if anyone wanted to hurt her baby they would have to go through her. Ragnock talked over their raised voices and said,

"We at Gringotts want this to happen as much as you do. So may I suggest a solution." Now that got their attention.

"You both probably aware of the Fidelius Charm." At their blank faces, Ragnock continued,

"It is a spell that is cast by a powerful wizard that can render information, a person, and even a location secret, invisible, or unknowable. There is a little known variation for this charm that would be useful in this case. It is called the Differius Charm. It works similar to the Fidelius Charm and the Confundus Charm combined. When used on a person, it helps protect their identity while the person can still interact with others. For instance, if a person with the Differius Charm cast on them were to go to a party, they could introduce themselves as whatever they please and the people that person interacts with would later have their thoughts confused about the person. All the witness would remember is a fuzzy impression of the person but not question the reason for this or anything else about the person's identity. Also, similar to the Fidelius Charm, any who try to write down the person's name, take a picture of the person, or try to locate the person will suddenly find themselves too confused to do so. The only flaws with this charm is that it eventually wears out and cannot stand up under a large number of people scrutinizing the Charm all at once." As a spell inventor, Pandora was immediately intrigued. She made a mental note to look into such charms that could almost be used as wards.

"If used on Harry, it would probably be in place long enough for him to be unfindable and unknowable until he goes to Hogwarts."

Xenophilius looked over at his wife and they silently communicated for a moment. Finally, Pandora's grip on Harry tightened slightly and Xenophilius said,

"Do it."

With their consent, Director Ragnock's grin grew even wider. With his sharp teeth, it looked more like a menacing grimace. With the Potter heir away from the meddlesome Headmaster's influence, the Goblin Nation had gained a foothold over the boy-who-lived.

Everyone in the office had something on their minds as the joyful celebration continued. Xenophilius was ecstatic that his wife was happy and that they would be able to keep little Harry, who he had grown rather fond over. Pandora was gleefully looking into Harry's eyes, seeing her friend's emerald eyes looking back at her. Luna was giggling at all the loud noises she didn't understand. Harry was vaguely wondering why this kind lady was looking at him so strangely. Ragnock was lost in his own plotting thoughts.

However, no one felt the approving hum of magic that radiated throughout the room. If any of them had noticed, they would have thought that magic herself had been humming in approval to the unexpected turn of events.

 _AN: Hello! I hope you all are enjoying the story so far! In case you were wondering, I created the Differius spell from the Latin word Differo which means to distract or confuse. I added the –ius part at the end to make it look like the Fidelius charm. If you liked it, Review or PM me!_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or anything associated with it. I would be honored to_ _ **meet**_ _JK let alone be her._


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

 _AN: So Harry's childhood is broken up into different sections. It's going to consist of important moments of Harry being raised by the Lovegoods. Sorry if it's a bit choppy, but I wanted to give you guys an inside look at Harry's new childhood._

 _April 25, 1986_

Spring in England was slowly creeping up to Ottery St Catchpole. Xenophilius was working with _the Quibbler,_ and Pandora was with the kids at home.Because of the warming weather, Pandora decided to tend to her prized garden with the kids outside. Most of the plants were coming along well, but the gurdyroots took a little while longer to grow so she had yet to plant them. Even though Pandora was a spell crafter of some renown, she still enjoyed the simple things of life. She was distracted from her gardening when she saw a five-year-old Luna skipping toward her.

"Hi sweetie! Where's your brother?" Even though the Lovegoods hadn't officially adopted Harry, they still treated him like he was their own. They planned on explaining everything to him when he was old enough to understand. For now, Pandora was Mama Panda and Xenophilius was Papa Zee (these were Harry's best attempts at their names and it stuck).

"I dunno where he is, Mama. We were playing hide and go seek, but I can't find him!" At first, Pandora wasn't too worried. There were plenty of hiding places around the house that Harry could have picked. Pandora got up from her gardening, dusted herself off a bit, and said,

"Okay, how about I help you find him!" Luna visibly perked up at that.

"M'kay. Thanks Mama!"

After searching the house for a long time, Harry was still yet to be found. Pandora was starting to genuinely get nervous. Luna gave her a scare when she gasped in the overdramatic way that five year olds tend towards.

"Mama, what if the Nargels got Harry?!" Pandora couldn't help but giggle at Luna's childlike logic. Her solution was that the Nargels took him? A Nargel couldn't steal a six-year-old child!

"Sweetie, Nargels steal things not people. Besides, I would never plant mistletoe to attract them." Luna nodded at her mother's logic.

They had gone over what felt like every inch of the house. Finally, Pandora decided to resort to magic.

" _Point Me,_ Harry." The wand eventually led them to the one place she had hoped to not find Harry. Pandora practiced and experimented with all her spells in her basement workshop, but all of her research and books were in a locked closet in the master bedroom. She started banging on the cupboard and desperately shouted,

"Harry?! Are you in there?" She put her ear up to the closet and could faintly hear,

"Mama?"

"Oh Harry! Thank Merlin you're okay!" Not wanting to wait to find the key, Pandora did a quick Alohamora spell. In the back of her mind, she thought she should probably put more protections on the closet from now on.

When the door opened, big tear-filled eyes stared up at Pandora.

"Mama I'm so sorry! I-" before Harry could continue, Pandora pulled him into a tight hug.

"Honey, it's okay! You're safe and that's all that matters." Harry continued to cry into Pandora's shoulder until he calmed down enough to talk.

"I was looking for a hiding place, and I remembered seeing you get some books out of the closet. I tried to get in, but I couldn't. I kept on banging on the door until it suddenly unlocked. I just wanted to read like you do…" Harry trailed off at this and sniffled again. Pandora couldn't help but be impressed with his accidental magic.

"Harry, look at me." He did so reluctantly, expecting Mama Panda to be mad. Instead she was looking at him with compassionate eyes.

"I want you to know something. If you ever want something, just tell me. I might say no, but if it's anything like you wanting to read, then I will probably say yes. I want you to know that whatever you put your mind to, I will be behind you all the way. Just let me know first okay?" Harry nodded fervently in response. Pandora reached into the closet and grabbed three books from the pile.

"Harry, you can begin by reading these books. All I ask is you give each a try. If you don't like it, then stop. If you like it, then finish it and come to me for more. That curious nature that you have is a gift that will help you for the rest of your life." She then handed over the three books from the closet.

"This is _One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi_ by Phyllida Spore. It has quite a few pictures in it and if you like the book then maybe you can help me with the gardening. This next one is _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_ by Newt Scamander. This last book is _The Tales of Beedle the Bard_ is more for fun. It's a fairy tale book." Harry took all three books with reverence. His previous tears rapidly drying up, he excitedly turned to go back to his room saying,

"Thanks Mama! I'll read every single one of them!" Pandora smiled at him knowing he was probably right.

"Oh and Harry?" He turned around as he was about to scurry through the doorway.

"If you try to get in my closet again, all the Wrackspurts inside will getcha!" Pandora said in a mock ominous tone. Harry squealed in giggling fear as Pandora chased after him saying,

"I'm a Wrackspurt! I'm gonna getcha!"

Soon Luna joined in on the game. The 'Wrackspurt Game' as it was now called, had the Lovegood trio entertained for a long while. The echoes of giggles and laughter echoed out across Ottery St Catchpole until they reverberated into an eerie silence.

 _February 13, 1988_

Despite the lingering chilly weather, the Lovegood house was bustling with activity. It was little Luna's seventh birthday, after all. The Lovegood family rarely had people over, but Luna had begged to share her birthday with kids her age. Unable to say no, the Lovegood couple had the party preparations in full swing for later that day. Using a fair bit of imagination and magic, the previously dead grassy area had been transformed into a garden-like playground. When Luna had been asked what theme she had wanted her party to be, she had exclaimed,

"Magical of course! With talking flowers and unicorns and slides as high as the sky and…" the list of strangely adorable requests had only gotten more bizarre from there. The Lovegood couple had worked their hardest to make all of her requests come true. When young Harry had heard of Luna's dream party, it was funny enough for him to look up from his book to smile impishly at her.

While Luna was still very much a child at heart, Harry was slightly more serious than her. Since that day, two years ago, it was hard to see Harry without at least one book in his hands. Luna followed her big brother around like a shadow, and Harry loved every minute of it. In general, Harry was a quiet child who loved to break a silence with a random fact, an inspired insight, or a silly comment. Knowledge and Luna seemed to be all that Harry cared about. That is, other than his mother.

As soon as Harry had finished his book on Herbology, he had begun gardening with Pandora. Harry loved getting his hands dirty and seeing the fruits of his labors sprout before his eyes. As soon as Harry had been old enough to understand magical theory, he had inundated Pandora with questions. Being the expert she was, Pandora loved (and encouraged) the torrent of questions. In fact, for Harry's seventh birthday, she had given him a practice wand. It could only do small spells, but it was useful for theory.

Speaking of which, as the party preparations were underway, Harry had begun swishing his practice wand trying to repair a few broken glasses that had dropped. As soon as he had begun his attempts, a short goblin had shuffled up to him and said,

"What do you think you are doing?" Harry passively looked up from his work and stated,

"Just cleaning up this mess, Mr. Bogrod." The goblin huffed at this and sneered,

"Wizards of noble descent do _not_ clean up like a lowly house elf!"

"Well, Mr. Bogrod, we do not have house elves, so I am going to clean this up." Harry still managed to keep his voice even, but his green eyes burned with resolve. Normally, Harry's goblin tutor Bogrod would have reprimanded Harry harshly for disobeying. However, Bogrod nodded in respect of Harry's tenacity.

"Fine. Regardless, seeing as we had to cancel today's lessons because of the… _party,_ I expect you to read the next chapter of _From Gold to Galleons_ by our next lesson," Bogrod sneered. Harry was used to his tutor's less than pleasant attitude so only shrugged in response.

"Alright, Mr. Bogrod. Have a pleasant day!" Bogrod rolled his eyes at Harry's overly positive response, but there was an undertone of affection present in those beady eyes. Despite Harry's annoying little quirks, Bogrod was impressed with his student's intense study habits.

The goblin hastened to leave the overly bright and cheerful house before it became contagious. Just as he was about to depart, he heard Harry shout,

"Mr. Bogrod! Try not to step on the dirigible plums!" Bogrod snickered at this and shouted back,

"Wouldn't dream of it."

With that, Harry turned back to help set up for the party. He first ran into his papa who was working on animating some of the magical creature sculptures.

"Hi there Harry! Did Bogrod scurry back to Gringotts?" Harry sighed at his papa's attitude behind the question. His parents didn't really like Bogrod since he was such a stickler for the rules.

"Yes, Papa. Can I help with anything?" Xenophilius smiled at Harry's kind question.

"Sorry, but not really." Harry nodded in acceptance and they stood there in companionable silence as Xenophilius continued to work. Suddenly, Harry said,

"You know, Papa, you could slightly modify the _Piertotum Locomotor_ to be a bit more exact by adding _Fera_ at the end so they act more like animals instead of just being animated." Xenophilius was impressed by Harry's knowledge but responded,

"While that should work in theory, I doubt transfigured stone can take on the animalistic characteristics of an animal that I have never seen. Unfortunately, I have yet to see a Crumple Horned Snorkack." Xenophilius sighed a bit at not having seen that magnificent beast. Harry took out his notepad from his pocket and wrote something down. He then promptly snapped it shut and said,

"Thank you for the thought, papa. I'll ask mama later."

Indeed, he would have to ask much later because with the animation of the statues, the party preparations were complete. In no time at all, guests started arriving to Luna's seventh birthday party. Many of the guests were family friends, neighbors, and pretty much any wizarding family that had replied to their mass invitation.

Every arriving guest was greeted by an ecstatic Luna with her brightest yellow dress on. She would thank them for coming and hand them a pair of newly developed Sprectrespecs. The invention was Xenophilius' gift to Luna and she couldn't wait to share them with the world. She had no doubt they would be a massive hit. After all, who _didn't_ want to avoid nasty Wrackspurts?

After greeting the slightly confused Goldstein family, a tornado of red hair began approaching the Lovegood house. Luna couldn't help but smile in the face of such chaos. Individual voices were hard to distinguish but one could hear snippets that sounded like,

"Come back here Fred!" "I'm George!" "MUM! I'm tired!" "Do we _have_ to-" "No running!"

Two identical redheaded children were the first to approach Luna. With an overly excited smile, she said,

"Hello, I'm Luna! Welcome to my party! Here are your Spectrespecs and protective necklace. I will _not_ have Nargels interrupt my party, so they are for your own protection." After receiving the glasses and bottle cap necklace, the twins put the gifts on and looked at each other. In matching excited voices, they exclaimed,

"We're identical!" Normally they would get a reprimand for their humor, but they were surprised when Luna giggled.

"It's funny because your Spectrespecs are upside-down."

After fixing their glasses, one twin reached over and ruffled Luna's hair,

"You're all right kid! The name's Gred and-"

"I'm Forge! Nice to-"

"meet you little Luna!" The twins then entered the party pavilion and snapped off a bit of fairy floss from a tree to eat.

When the rest of the redhead family reached Luna, she gave them her little speech again. The older redheaded lady tentatively reached for a pair of Spectrespecs but didn't put it on. With a sickly sweet smile, she said,

"Thank you, dear. I don't know if you knew, but we're your neighbors! I'm Mrs. Weasley," she then pointed to a sulking redheaded boy around Harry's age, "this is Ron and this is," she then tried to move over to reveal a small girl hiding behind her, "well this is supposed to be Ginny, but she's a little shy." Ginny poked her head out for a second and Luna gave her friendliest smile.

"Hi there! Do you like pumpkin pasties?" When Ginny nodded and moved further away from her mom, Luna grabbed her hand.

"Well then let's go get some! Come on!" Ginny soon forgot to be nervous as they went racing through the party pavilion toward the giant pumpkin pasties that Pandora had made.

Soon all the guests had arrived. All the adults had gathered under the pavilion to mingle and the children wandered around the magical playground that seemed entirely out of place for wintery England.

The Lovegood couple was happily chatting with the adults. In general, it seemed that the party was a success. Unbeknownst to them, the party was not so much of a success amongst the children.

Since Luna was being entertained by her new friend, Harry had decided to catch up on some reading. Unfortunately, his peaceful studies were disturbed by a loud bite into a pumpkin pasty.

"Do you guys have a Quidditch pitch?" asked Ron through a mouthful of dessert. An unimpressed Harry looked up from his book and simply replied,

"No."

Ron scoffed in response, but some pumpkin flew out of his mouth. Harry kept on trying to avoid Ron's ill-mannered gabbing, but it was becoming more difficult by the moment.

"What kind of wizard house doesn't have at least a spot to play Qudditch? What else are we supposed to do? I mean I can only eat so much-" At that comment, Harry slammed his book shut.

"Oh really? You've certainly inhaled enough dessert to feed a large village!" Ron slowly swallowed his mouthful in shock at the quiet boy's response. Harry took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I'm sorry about that. It seems that you especially attract Wrackspurts to you. They seem to have messed with my thinking." The snap in personality back to calm and aloof confused Ron so much all he could say was,

"Wha-?... Wait what are Wrackspurts?" After Harry had explained the nature, effects, and history of the Wrackspurt, Ron was less confused but more convinced of Harry's weirdness.

"Right, I'm gonna go talk to… someone else." Rapidly standing up, Ron made a swift retreat back to the other boys at the party.

Not completely surprised, Harry returned to his reading about magical theory. He had a hard time focusing on the book however as his thoughts wandered back to the conversation. Other than Luna, he had rarely talked with people before in his life. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy people, he just had a hard time understanding why they had to use so many unnecessary words. He especially disliked it if their words were rude or ignorant. Even though people around him assumed he wasn't listening with his head buried in a book, but he was listening with far greater attention than they could understand. He just simply liked to process what they were saying and only insert his opinion when necessary.

Harry mentally shrugged as he remembered what Mama Panda had said on the subject,

" _You should never change who you are to get people to like you. It's impossible to make everyone like you, for Merlin's sake! Just focus on being yourself and people who still stick around deserve the right to be your friend."_

Harry concluded that his mama was very wise indeed. Content to be by himself for a little while, he continued reading, unaware of what was going on further into the playground.

Ginny had been enjoying her party very much so far. Her new friend Luna was fun to play around with. They would play pretend, but Ginny could tell Luna was taking it much more serious than just pretend. After all, she acted as if these invisible flying creatures were real. Ginny shrugged it off for now and continued with the game.

Luna, on the other hand, loved that someone else besides her family realized that Nargels and Wrackspurts were real! She was having so much fun running around the glowing trees and climbing the many slides. In fact, she was having so much fun that she didn't really notice that none of the other children seemed to be joining in. If she had taken the time to look around she would have seen the trio of slightly older girls gossiping lazily in a corner, a handful of boys just standing looking bored, and one overly stimulated three-year-old running around in circles.

It wasn't until Luna accidentally bumped into one of the older girls that she noticed something very important.

"Hey! You guys aren't wearing your Sprectrespecs! How are you supposed to see the Wrackspurts?" The girls immediately broke into sickeningly loud laughter. When Luna impassively blinked back at them, the self-appointed leader of the group sneered,

"Oh you were being serious?! Of course we're not going to wear those stupid glasses! They're ugly, dumb, and, quite frankly, useless. I mean, what in the name of Merlin's stubby toes are rack-pirts?" For some reason this made the girls laugh even harder. Unfortunately, Luna misunderstood what their laughter meant and tried to explain everything to them.

"Wrackspurts are invisible things that float into your brain and make your thoughts all fuzzy." All the girls, and even the boys, gave Luna a look as if she had grown two heads. With eyebrows raised and sass at unprecedented levels, the ringleader girl sneered,

"Newsflash, kid. Those Racky things aren't. real." At this point, Luna had tears glimmering in her wide blue eyes. She began to fervently defend the existence of Wrackspurts, list off all documented sightings of them, and generally try to be heard over the cruel laughter. One of the other girls spoke up above the laughter and said,

"I think she's gone mad! Little Luna is a loon!" Another boy picked up the play on words and immediately shouted,

"It's Loony Lovegood!" The jeering laughter was so prevalent, Luna almost felt suffocated by it. She could only watch in horror as a small chant of 'Loony Lovegood' started up. Not even feeling the tears running down her face, Luna prepared herself to mentally escape what was going on, to do anything. Anything to get away from this harsh reality.

Just as the chanting reached its peak, Luna felt a shadow cross over her tightly shut eyes. Someone was standing directly in front of her, between her and the bullies. With the person in front of her, the chants grew gradually more quiet, until they stopped completely. Bringing herself back to reality, Luna looked up at her savior and saw her brother standing protectively over her.

While Luna felt comfortable in her brother's presence, the rest of the visitors felt the air drop in temperature. They could only look on in shock as the black haired brother of Luna ('what was his name?') stared them down with rage. His normally calm emerald eyes now blazed Avada Kedavra green, causing everyone to look away in shame and fear.

"How. Dare. You. How could you, children and heirs of respected families, be so ignorantly thick-headed? Do you not remember why you are all here? We graciously invited you into our home to celebrate Luna's seventh birthday. Instead you make a fools of yourselves acting like animals! And to blatantly make fun of someone for something you don't understand? Out of everyone, you all should be the last to discredit something thought unbelievable! You're all wizards, for Merlin's sake! You all should be ashamed of yourselves."

Some of the children had the consideration to at least look humbled, some clearly felt ashamed for participating, while others looked cowed but not regretful.

"And to do such a thing on Luna's birthday! If you don't respect her at least respect the sanctity of birthdays!" Despite the somewhat silly statement, Harry looked deadly serious.

"In fact, you all should leave before you ruin her birthday any more!" This gave everyone a shock. At first no one moved, but then Harry shouted,

"Now! Get out or I'll set a Umgubular Slashkilter on you!" They had no idea what that meant but it sounded scary enough to send them all running back to their parents. Harry followed them back into the pavilion and approached his parents. Pandora saw his thunderous look and immediately asked,

"Sweetie, what's wrong?"

"These imbecilic children are leaving. And they're taking their parents too." Knowing her son, Pandora knew he would explain everything when he was ready. She tried to end the party on a happy note and exclaimed,

"Thank you everyone for coming! We will now be having a family dinner to celebrate with Luna. I hope you enjoyed the party!" And with that, the Lovegood family watched everyone awkwardly leave. Even though the Differo charm was still in place, it had been stretched thin enough that everyone would remember seeing a boy with midnight black hair and blazing green eyes. Most left without another word, some resolving to never come back. It was only the Weasley twins and Ginny who stayed behind to talk to Luna and Harry. Ginny approached Luna, while the boys talked to Harry,

"Hey mate. We're-"

"-sorry everything went downhill while we were gone. We-"

"-just loved looking at the spell-work behind making the statues-"

"move like that. Can you tell-"

"-Little Luna we're sorry?" Harry hadn't seen the twins amongst his sister's tormentors. He reassured them he accepted their apology and would pass on the message.

Meanwhile, Ginny was talking to Luna as apologetically as she could.

"I'm awfully sorry about all that. All those kids were older; I didn't know what to do. It was so scary! I am so so sorr-" Luna interrupted her in a voice just above a whisper.

"Why didn't you do anything?" Clearly Luna was hurt because her normally sing-song voice was strangely serious. Ginny tried to stammer out a reply, but Luna interrupted her again.

"I understand you were scared. After all, they were older and we had just met. I forgive you." Ginny brightened at this, but her heart sank when Luna continued.

"But I don't think we should be friends right now. You only played with me because you were too scared to talk to anyone else. You didn't speak up when you knew something wrong was happening." Ginny looked down in genuine shame.

"Ginny, I can feel that you're a good person. You have a glowing kind feel about you. So someday, many moon frog filled lunar cycles from now, I am sure we can be friends."

In that moment, something in Ginny clicked. She realized that not only had she hung out with Luna out of fear but also out of pity. How could she do that? Ginny had always wanted to have a friend her own age. How could she have gloriously messed that up? Resolving to become a better friend, Ginny stuck out her hand and said,

"Luna Lovegood, I cannot wait until the day where I am ready to be your friend." Luna's dreamy blue eyes sparkled with delight. They shook hands and parted ways.

The rest of the evening was much more fun than earlier that day. Mama Panda had the feast of Luna's favorite foods left over from the party. The family gorged themselves on pumpkin pasties, steak and kidney pies, and many cauldron cakes. Harry and Pandora examined various theories behind animation transfiguration. Xenophilius and Luna had a rousing discussion about how the Ministry of Magic was keeping the muggle bigfoot hostage. Throughout it all, Luna couldn't help the nagging thoughts in the back of her head from earlier.

Excusing herself, she went outside and sat beneath the dirigible plum tree. Looking up at the stars, she couldn't help wondering what would have happened had Harry not been there. As if thoughts could summon people, Harry laid down next to her and looked up as well. They sat there in companionable silence for a few moments until Harry whispered,

"I am so sorry Luna. I should have been a better brother. I should have been there with you sooner-" before he could finish his thought, Luna stopped him.

"Big brother, stop your worrying thoughts. I'm pretty sure worrying causes wrinkles." Harry couldn't help but snicker at that.

"Doesn't frowning cause wrinkles?" Luna giggled back at him and said,

"Oh yeah! All the same, Harry I love you so much. I can't imagine what would have happened if you hadn't been there at all. You took care of me. You saved me. Thank you." Everything she said was the truth but as she looked over at her brother, there were tears glistening in his eyes.

"Thank you too," he whispered.

They then lost themselves to their own thoughts, listening to the ambient sounds of nightlife wash over them. The swishing of the long grass and the chirping of crickets were like a soothing symphony. Peace once again settled over the area of Ottery St Catchpole. For how much longer, none could tell.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

 _June 23, 1990_

Summer in the English countryside had taken a turn for the worst in recent days. Despite it not having rained for a few weeks, there was a heaviness in the air that lingered on one's skin. Even though a sunny day in England would normally be considered a blessing, the formerly cheerful sun scorched down on anyone who dared to go outside. It was almost as though the atmosphere itself had become so heavy that it had fallen to escape the heat.

Because of the unpleasant sticky weather, the occupants of the Lovegood household had been secluded inside relying on cooling charms. Though they would never complain about it, Pandora could tell that Harry and Luna were getting bored. In an attempt to cheer them up she expressed an idea that had occurred to her.

"A circus? What is that?" Harry asked incredulously.

"It's a muggle activity where they all gather and watch people and animals perform!" Luna perked up at the mention of animals. Even Harry seemed to be interested in a way to get out of the house. Xenophilius looked up from his upside-down _Quibbler_ in consideration. The latest edition of the magazine had not been as well-received as he had hoped. Not nearly as many people were interested in the Rotfang Conspiracy as he had hoped. In need of somewhat of a pickmeup, Xenophilius readily inserted his opinion.

"What an excellent idea! I did just finish looking over the article on Exploding Snabberwitches… so why not!"

With everyone in agreement, they all got their things together and flooed to a place that was closest to the muggle circus. After walking to get there, the Lovegood family realized they were a touch early to the event. The big top tent had just been put up and a whirlwind of activity surrounded the area. Men and women clothed in a wide variety of colors bustled around preparing for the show. Some were running and walking, while others rode vibrantly garbed horses. Harry even spotted a few boys not much older than him somersaulting and flipping around. Human and animal cries intermingled in sound and volume. It was such a wonderful collection of sights and sounds that the awful smell of animal feces almost went unnoticed.

Even though Harry and Luna had grown up around strange things, they had never before witnessed something as wondrously magical as what was before them. With comically widened eyes, the Lovegood family approached the most un-muggle muggle atmosphere that they had ever encountered.

Walking past large cages, Luna excitedly looked in to see a gaggle of monkeys in one and a dog with strangely curly hair in another. Seeing many other caged and roaming animals, Luna was about to unwittingly walk away from her family. Suddenly, a huge muscled man with a mustache approached the family and said in a thick accent,

"You! Vot do you think you are doing? Wrong vay. Haff to go thata vay." After many apologies, the Lovegood family went back through the visitor entrance. Most of the other visitors looked at the Lovegood strangely. With their vibrant robes, many of the muggles wondered why some of the circus performers were sitting in the stands.

Since they had arrived early, the family knew a long wait for the show to start lied ahead of them. Luna was already fidgeting impatiently. When Luna didn't think her mom was looking, she would gaze longingly toward where the animals were being held. Pandora took in her daughter's yearning with amusement and leaned over to whisper,

"The performance won't be starting for some time if you two want to explore for a bit." With Harry being the responsible almost ten-year old that he was, Pandora had no problem letting them wander. After cautioning them to stay within the circus grounds, Harry and Luna scampered off to the circus animals.

Luna was so ecstatic to be surrounded by such wondrous creatures that she forgot to be aware of her surroundings. Harry grabbed her arm to duck behind a crate just in time for an adult to walk by. From previous experience, they knew they would get a scolding if they were found this close to the animals. Luna was reverently petting a white horse when she noticed something out of the ordinary.

A strange man in what looked like a wrapped up robe was sitting down in front of a basket. He was sitting slightly away from everyone else. Amongst all the business in preparation, Luna couldn't help but wonder why this man was sitting. Harry came up behind Luna to ask what she was doing but was silenced when he saw the man as well. He unlatched the basket and brought out a strange looking instrument. It was wide and round at one end and thin on the other with little objects dangling from the end. A fast paced yet eerie tune emanated from the man's instrument that set the children's teeth on edge. From their hiding place, the Lovegood children couldn't see the man's face, but that mattered little when suddenly something emerged from the basket. A large serpent rose from the depths of the basket and let its hood flare in aggression. Luna hid her face in horror at the sight while Harry couldn't keep his eyes off the display. The snake held its raised position, seemingly mesmerized by the music. However, after a few moments, it seemed to grow bored and was about to retreat back into the basket when the man stopped playing.

"Lazy worm! What do you think you are doing?!" The man then took his flute and whipped the snake with its reedy end.

The serpent hissed in pain and turned away from his abuser. It was only with this new angle that Harry and Luna were able to see what they couldn't before. Poorly healed wounds and lacerations littered the snakes back. There was also a deep cut around the snake's mouth that had been hard to see because of the brown mottled scales. Luna couldn't help but gasp at seeing any animal be mistreated. She was considering confronting the man, when he slammed the top of the basket on the snake's head and close the latch. He then stomped away grumbling under his breath. With some trepidation, Luna and Harry approached the basket. As Luna drew near, her hand reached out to unlatch the basket. Harry grabbed her hand and exclaimed,

"What do you think you're doing? There's a snake in there!"

"But he's hurt!" Luna's big caring eyes made Harry hesitate for a moment. Seizing the opportunity, Luna snatched her hand back and unlatched the basket. With a strangled shout, Harry shoved Luna away from the basket as fast as he could. Immediately, the serpent burst the top of the basket off and rose ominously. A garbled set of hisses emanated from the snake at not seeing his usual tormentor. The snake hissed at Luna and Harry darted in front of her and almost hissed back. Realizing her folly, Luna scrambled away from the snake. She was confused when the snake turned away from her to look straight at Harry. Unbeknownst to Luna, Harry wasn't aware of all the hissing. All he could here were words.

" _Who daresssh to disshturb me?"_ Due to the shock of the whole situation, Harry barely noticed as the snake spoke. He was just desperate to get the snake's attention away from his sister.

" _Look at me not her!"_ The serpent reared up further in surprise and did just that. Once Luna was out of harm's way, Harry realized he was actually talking to a snake.

" _A ssshpeaker! Pleassse sssave me ssshpeaker!"_ Harry's eyes narrowed in confusion. Even though the snake was speaking to Harry it was speaking abnormally.

" _Why do you speak so strangely?"_ The snake hissed in anger at this.

" _My tormentor cut my fangsssh out and they grew back in ssshtrange wayss."_ Harry balked at the cruelty this snake had gone through. He then set his shoulder and said,

" _We won't stop you. Be free."_ The serpent hissed with glee in response and slithered away.

Unfortunately, the direction he went was close to some people and soon screams could be heard. Luna was still in shock, but she was aware enough to know it was time to leave. Hurrying back to their parents, they barely had time to speak about what had just happened. Not wanting to get trampled in the escaping crowd, the Lovegoods left the circus as soon as they were reunited.

On the walk back to the floo they had used to get there, the family finally had the chance to talk. With concern in her eyes, Pandora knelt down to Harry and Luna's level and asked,

"What happened?" Luna hurriedly explained everything that happened while Harry remained thoughtfully silent. Luna's story hit a dead end toward the end and Pandora had to ask,

"Why did the snake back down?" Luna looked over at Harry and Pandora noticed the exchange.

"Harry…" Clearly he was hesitant to respond, but Pandora needed to know. Taking a deep breath, Harry told his tale in a rush.

"Luna unlatched the basket and I shoved her away. The snake was about to attack her and I had to save her. I shouted at him to look at me and he did. He told me I was a speaker and that he wanted to escape from his abusing master. You should have seen him mom! He was all scratched up! So I let him go and he went away."

It took all of Pandora's willpower to not let her jaw drop. Even so, her eyebrows rose in surprise. After a few moments, all she could get out was,

"…you spoke to it?" Harry was always encouraged to share so he continued with less hesitation.

"Yeah, I did. I thought it was like that time that I accidentally made dad's hair turn purple. You told me that was accidental magic! Isn't that what that was?"

Unfortunately, Pandora knew that that was definitely not accidental magic. This was something much more sinister. The last parselmouth was… He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. This could only be something bad. Perhaps it was a sign of something worst to come. Pandora would not let that murdering monster hurt her son again. Refocusing on Harry, she absentmindedly whispered,

"Yes. Accidental magic. That's what it must have been." Xenophilius recognized the look on his wife's face. Something was wrong. Really wrong. He took her hand and said,

"Come, children. We must get back to the house." Xenophilius knew that parseltongue didn't just happen. He could only hope that his dear Panda knew what to do.

The usually cheerful Lovegood family flooed back home with foreboding and confusion. Unbeknownst to the family, they would all look back on the disastrous circus day as the end of something… and the beginning of something far worse.

-EOEOEOEO-

A few days after the circus incident found the Lovegoods sedately lounging around the house. At least, most of the Lovegoods. Ever since she had arrived home, she had been holed up in her potions lab in the basement. The only time the family saw her was when she marched upstairs to retrieve a book from her locked closet.

Xenophilius was starting to get worried. It was rare for Pandora to act this obsessed. He had confronted her the day before as she retrieved more things from her closet. Behind closed doors without the children watching, Xenophilius saw how unhinged his wife had become.

"Xeno, our child spoke _parseltongue._ I've just spent all night researching the Potter ancestry and there is no relation to the Slytherin house. Lily was a muggle born, so it couldn't have come from her. I have this horrible feeling that it has something to do with… _him."_

"You can't mean that, Panda. He's gone. What could he possibly have to do with this?" Pandora took a deep breath in preparation for what she was about to say.

"What if he isn't really gone." Xenophilius scoffed at his irrational wife, but she continued.

"Hear me out, Xeno. How could one of the most powerful Dark Lord's of our time let himself get defeated by an infant? He had to have safeguards of some sort! Think about what we know about him from the war. He was cunning and ruthless. He rarely went on raids and used his followers to do almost everything. So why would he suddenly go after the Potters himself? What if we're missing something?" Xenophilius let out a long sigh and leaned against the bedroom wall.

"Supposing your theory is right, what does this have to do with Harry's parsesltongue?" At this, Pandora deflated as she admitted,

"I'm not sure yet." Xenophilius straightened and put his hands on Pandora's shoulders.

"My Panda, you are worrying yourself over nothing!"

"But what if Harry's in danger and-"

"He's not in danger! Please Panda don't let the madness continue." Pandora's face hardened.

"Madness is it? Me wanting to protect my son is not madness! You of all people, Xenophilius, should not be treating me as such." Xenophilius adopted a helpless look as he interjected,

"I'm just worried about-" Pandora held up her hand to interrupt him.

"I understand that, Xeno, but this is important. My little boy could be in danger, and just as surely as a Nargle steals things, I will surely keep him safe." Seeing the steel in his wife's eyes, Xenophilius relented to her efforts to save Harry.

As the days went on from there, Xenophilius noticed as the books his wife brought down from the closet got increasingly darker. Where did she find a book on blood magic anyways? Remembering their conversation, he said nothing. He only hoped that at the end of this, he would get his beloved wife back.

As for the Lovegood children, they paid their mother's strange behavior little mind. It was not unusual for her to get into these sorts of moods and disappear to tinker with a spell or two. Luna had been spending the day painting a piece of wood to resemble a crocodile. When Harry had asked why a crocodile, she had giggled and said,

"Why not a crocodile?" Seeing as this was a standard Luna answer, he simply shrugged and continued reading _Magical Drafts and Potions_. After completing her crocodile, she scampered up to her room to let it dry. When she returned, she asked her father,

"Hey dad? I was wanting to paint a Dirigible Plum on my bedroom wall. Do we have any more red paint?" Pausing from his efforts to make something resembling tea, he responded,

"Well, dear, I do believe there might be some in the attic. You should take your brother up with you. I don't want you wandering alone in case there is a Boggart hiding somewhere." Luna perked up at the thought of exploring the attic.

"Thanks, dad! Wanna come, Harry?" Bookmarking his place, he set down his book and said,

"Sure, why not." One creepy ladder climb later, the children found themselves in front of large cluttered mess in the attic. Harry shivered at the sight, but Luna cheerily said,

"Let's split up so we can find the paint faster!" Plucking up his courage, Harry approached a suspicious looking pile of pickle jars.

After what seemed to be an eternity, Harry found a bucket of red paint on a top shelf. Harry moved a trunk close to the shelf so he could reach the paint. There were a few papers and books on top of it, so as Harry snatched the paint, a shower of parchment rained on him. Sighing at his clumsiness, he began picking up the mess. As he was pushing the papers together, something caught his eye.

There was a photograph amongst the books. The picture was yellowing at the edges and was clearly a wizard photo since the figures were moving. However, he had never seen the people who happened to be in the photograph.

There was a red headed woman and a man smiling in the photo. They appeared to be a couple as they were holding each other's arms. The woman was smiling at the camera and the man was looking lovingly at the woman. As the figures continued to move, Harry started with surprise. The man eventually turned back to look at the camera and Harry was astonished to see that he looked eerily similar to Harry. The only difference was that Harry didn't have glasses. His mum had taken him to a family healer at the first sign of weakening vision and corrective potions had solved the issue. Harry would have dismissed this as coincidental until the woman had stopped smiling and he had gotten a better look at her eyes. Harry had her exact eyes. With slightly trembling hands, Harry turned the photograph over to see an inscription. It read _: Lily and James after Hogwarts graduation, 1977_.

Luna had finished her search and found Harry sitting next to the paint can.

"You found it, Harry! …Harry?" Barely hearing her, Harry slowly rose with the photograph tightly gripped between white knuckles. He needed an explanation. He knew, rationally, that he shouldn't rush to conclusions.

He had known for quite some time that he looked nothing like his parents. In retrospect, he really should have questioned things more. Fear, anger, and trepidation rushed through Harry until one thought remained. He needed an explanation.

Brushing past Luna, he descended the ladder and entered the kitchen. He stopped when he saw his dad setting the table for tea. Xenophilius glanced up from his work and said,

"There you are, Harry. Did you find the paint-" He was interrupted when Harry strode over to the table and slammed the picture down.

"Who are these people." Xenophilius paused with a teacup in his hand and got a good look at the photograph. Once he had, his grip loosened and the teacup seemed to fall in slow motion. It hit the floor and shattered in a way that was both deafening and deathly silent. When the moment of shock had passed, Xenophilus hastily strode over to open the basement door and shouted,

"Panda! I think you should come up here."

"Can it wait? I'm in the middle of something." He responded evenly while staring at Harry,

"No, it most certainly can not."

Seeing the photograph garnered a similar reaction to Xenophilius' in Pandora. Instead of answering Harry's question, Pandora whispered,

"We didn't want you to find out this way." Not liking the broad answer, Harry repeated,

"Who. Are. They?" Pandora gestured for Harry to sit, but when he didn't, she collapsed into a seat instead.

"They are Lily and James Potter. Your parents." Not knowing how to react, Harry spluttered for a moment before saying,

"What?" Pandora had not been prepared for this so all she could do was explain everything as simply as she could.

"You know about the last Wizarding War? They were fighting in it. They died trying to save you from… He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."

"But… I thought you were my parents." Desperately trying to placate Harry, Pandora rose from her chair and tried to hug Harry but he took a step back. She tried to ignore the step and continued,

"We still are! We love you so much! They loved you too but…" Desperately scrambling for words she continued trying to get closer to Harry.

"I know we should have told you sooner, but we wanted you to be happy! I guess, I wanted to be enough of a mom for you." Harry grew enraged at that.  
"So you decided to lie to me?! What else have you been lying about?" At this point, Pandora was actively crying.  
"Nothing, Harry! We're still your parents. I'm still your mother!"

"No, you're not! You lied to me! I never want to see you again!" With that, Harry ran out the door of the house, tears streaming down his face. Pandora tried to follow him, but Xenophilius grabbed her arm and said,

"Give him some time. He'll come back." All of Pandora's strength left her and she openly wept into Xenophilius' robes. She desperately hoped Harry would come back. He needed to come back. He was her son. He would come back.

Unfortunately, as Harry ran as far away from the Lovegood house as he could, he had no intention of returning. He had no idea where he was going, but he needed to leave. Little did he know, but the farther he ran from his childhood home, the closer he got to the dangerous future that was ahead of him.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

AN: Hey guys! I'm going to updating as frequently as I can now! Some of you have figured out what's going to happen. Please don't kill me but prepare yourselves. Final warning.

 _June 27, 1990_

The usually sedate grasslands at Ottery St. Catchpole were agitatedly whipping around Harry as he ran as fast as his legs could carry him. The chaotic grass seemed to appropriately match the storm that was currently raging inside of him.

When he had first left, the sun was beginning to set. However, now the last rays of sunlight were glancing across the sky as darkness began to envelope the world. Harry momentarily acknowledged the darkening sky, but refused to care about being out at night. He no longer cared about danger, about his surroundings, or seemingly anything. All he cared about was getting as far away as possible and never being able to be found.

Before he knew it, night had completely enveloped him. In the dark, it was much harder for Harry to see where he was going. He knew he should go on, but he kept up his determined sprint. Suddenly, the ground came into Harry's field of vision. Without realizing it, he had tripped over a rock in the dirt. Rather than catching himself, Harry allowed himself to crash to the ground. He cared not that he was now covered in dirt. He didn't even care that he felt a stinging on his cheek. Out of curiosity, he reached up and wiped his face. A mingling of tears and blood from a scratch graced his overly pale hand. At the sight, Harry's numb state broke into a torrent of emotion.

He continued to sob into the night until there were no more tears to be had. Long after the tears had dried from his face, Harry began feeling exhaustion creep upon him. With all the resolution left in his body, he firmly wished he could never be found again. Perhaps he would fall asleep and no one would ever find him again. The thought brought him some comfort as he drifted off into a wearied sleep.

Unbeknownst to Harry, his magic had sensed his despair. Without knowing what really to do to help, Harry's magic wrapped him in a protective cloak of ambiguity. In an attempt to help Harry in some way, his magic had fulfilled his wish of being unfindable. Some would say this was accidental magic, but with Harry's magic nothing rarely happens by accident.

-EOEOEOEO-

Back at the Lovegood house, chaos reigned just as surely as it had for Harry in the grasslands. Luna was distraught having learned about Harry leaving and that he wasn't really her brother. She was more worried about Harry leaving than him not being her real brother. She had shrugged and figured that even if they weren't really related, they were siblings in all the ways that mattered.

After a few hours of not seeing Harry return, Xenophilius and Luna decided to search the surrounding area. Pandora was still in a state of shock and had not moved from her position on the couch from hours previous. Some time had passed when Pandora broke from her state and realized that she had to do something. After all, she had been working on a way to save Harry from danger for the past few weeks. Surely she could do something to at least find him, or keep him safe until she had found him. Resolutely rising, she cracked a few sore bones and marched down to the basement.

It may take all night, but Pandora would find her baby boy. She would keep him safe. She would make things right no matter what it took.

-EOEOEOEO-

It was shortly after dawn when the beginning beams of sunshine woke Harry. For a moment, he had no idea how he came to be on the hard ground and not in his warm bed. Remembering the night before, he sighed. Pushing himself up and groaning as his sore body protested, he took a look at his surroundings. Being somewhat short, it was hard for him to see over the grass. However, he was able to make out what appeared to be a tall house fairly close to him. Still a little bleary eyed, he decided to wander over in that direction.

He heard more from the house before he saw anything. An older woman was shouting something inaudible. She sounded very upset and it was only as he got closer that he was able to make out what was going on.

"-darned gnomes again! I thought I had the twins de-gnome the garden! What in the name of Merlin's saggy left butt cheek happened?!" Similar profanities were spewed and Harry had to wince (yet admire the creativity) with a few of them.

He continued moving forward until he was close enough to see what was going on. A redheaded woman was furiously pulling out a few ruined flowers from a garden in the backyard of the tall house he had only caught glimpses of previously.

Because of his dazed state, he didn't think about he consequences of getting closer to the tall yet dumpy house. The redheaded woman was bent down with a few flower pots in her hands. As she straightened up, she was startled to see a young boy staring at her. She dropped her pots and clutched her heart.

"Oh my stars! You startled me!" The crash of the flower pots seemed to bring Harry out of his trance. With wide eyes he took a step back and stammered out,

"So-sorry. I don't mean to intrude or- well, I'll just go." She could tell he was acting like a startled animal, so in an attempt to placate him, she said,

"Wait, dear! You must be freezing. Come inside for a cup of tea first." Harry hesitated, but his body was groaning from having stayed out all night. Shrugging mentally, he figured a cup of tea couldn't hurt.

A few moments later found Harry sitting at the dining table, staring at a steaming cup. The woman was awkwardly staring at him, but he was too numb to feel uncomfortable. She coughed a bit hoping to get his attention. When it didn't, she tried her best to make conversation.

"Well, I know its been a while, but I recognize you from the Lovegood's party a few years ago. My name is Molly Weasley. And you are...?"

"Harry..." he then hesitated. What should his last name be? Lovegood or Potter? Not really knowing the answer he finished,

"...just Harry." With that realization, it hit Harry. He barely knew who he was anymore. Before he knew it, he was crying all over again. He hated being weak in front of this stranger, but he had a hard time caring. Unlike his weeping in the grasslands, he wasn't alone this time. Not wasting any time, Molly pulled him into one of the tightest hugs he had ever experienced. For a long time, nothing was said. Finally, Molly pulled away and looked Harry over.

"My dear, you are filthy! Let's get you cleaned up and then we can talk." A quick _scourgify_ and _episkey_ on his cuts was enough to make Harry feel much better. He was still sniffling quite a bit, so Molly offered to put a bit of a Calming Draught in his tea. He gratefully accepted the drink and finally felt good enough to talk.

"I am so sorry for putting you through all this trouble." Molly waved his apology away and said,

"No need to be sorry, my dear. I couldn't very well leave you out there freezing! Now what is the problem?" Trying to find the right words to start with, all he could say was,

"I'm adopted." From there it was hard for him to stop. He explained the situation without really mentioning names. Molly was a good listener throughout the whole explanation. An orphan from the last Wizarding War was not uncommon.

"Harry, I am truly sorry about your parents. Too many died in that dreadful war. However, I don't think you realize how lucky you are. Your real parents may be gone, but you still have parents. Most orphans can't say that. I know I can't speak for your mother, but if I was gone… I'd want someone to love my children half as much as it sounds like your adopted mom does. If you think about it, she was protecting you the only way she knew how. In every sense of the word, she is your mom. He is your dad. You have a real family now. Please dear, don't loose that." By the end of her compassionate speech, Harry's eyes were glistening.

"Thanks, Mrs. Weasley. I really hadn't thought about it that way. I…" Not knowing what else to say, he reached over and gave her a big hug. Even though it was below a whisper, Molly could have sworn she heard him whisper,

" _Thank you._ " Molly felt her caring heart fill with happiness that she had been able to help in some way. He wiped away some dried up tears and whispered,

"I think I'm ready to go back." Molly smiled with understanding.

"Of course, dear… before you go, do you want a biscuit?" Harry giggled a bit and sheepishly looked at her.

"If it isn't too much trouble." Smiling, Molly got up and got a few biscuits ready for him. She knew he'd need the nourishment for what was to come when he got back home.

-EOEOEOEO-

On the other side of Ottery St. Catchpole, the rest of the Lovegood family was in a state of disarray. Xenophilius and Luna had taken brief brake close to dawn, but then they went back to searching for Harry. Pandora had not taken a break all night.

She had tried every tracking spell and ritual in her extensive collection of books. So far they had been unsuccessful. The only conclusion she could draw from this was that Harry had been captured or found or… who knows what else. Pandora had finally resorted to pacing in her bedroom in front of her closet. Up until now, she had tried to refrain from doing the less than legal rituals that could find Harry. However, after fruitless hours of searching, she was wondering if she had any other choice.

Pandora stopped mid-pace and turned to stare at her closet. It was emptier than usual since most of her books were down in the basement. There was still a corner of the closet that the light didn't seem to reach. The darkness of her darkest books. She was out of options. She had to do this. She had no choice.

She hastily reached in and grabbed one of the books from the dark corner. Unfortunately, there was no ritual that perfectly accomplished what she wanted. She would have to combine two different blood rituals to find Harry and keep him safe until she was able to get to him. It was no matter. She was no stranger to inventing spells or combining steps to get a better result.

Steeling herself against the encroaching anxiety, she reassured herself that before she knew it, her son would be back in her arms.

Rushing down to the basement, she prepared the ritual. Fortunately, there was no potion required or else the preparation would have taken longer. Less fortunately, the ritual required something much grislier. Blood, and it had to be from caster of the ritual. It was a small price to pay to get her son back.

A few hours later and she felt like she was ready. She had some of Harry's hair from his last haircut and she had a silver knife at the ready. Trying to stall herself from doing this, Pandora took another few moments to look over her notes to be sure she had everything ready and memorized. Finally, there was nothing left to do but begin.

Pandora used her wand to light five candles that were arranged in a large circle. Raising the ceremonial knife, she sliced her palm and winced at the momentary pain. She wasted no time and used the dripping blood to connect the five candles in a star. A quick _episkey_ stopped the blood from flowing further so she could continue. She placed Harry's beautiful black locks in the center of the star and set it alight. It was evident that the magic was working as the hair did not completely burn up, but was surrounded by a halo of fire. Raising her wand, she began the encantation.

" _Rectores tenebrarum harum, obsecro. Scio me sincere cor meum tenebrae. Patitur tenebrarum regnum. Quaeritur de victimis pacificorum, et sanguis meus capillos praecipio tibi…"_

The ritual words continued. She was to repeat the mantra five times or else the chain would be broken. An unusual calm settled over her considering how illegal the ritual she was performing was. She had no reason to worry. She had done everything in her power to protect her son. He would be safe. He would come home.

-EOEOEOEO-

At the same time as the ritual, something was happening just outside the Lovegood house. A loud pop sounded over the grassland and two figures appeared.

"Are you sure you'll be alright, dear?"  
"Yes, Mrs. Weasley. Thank you for everything."

"Of course! Don't forget to visit."

"I won't!" Harry then set off toward his home. He entered with a slight spring to his step. He knew everything would be fine. He would apologize for the fuss and everything would go back to normal. Unfortunately, as soon as he set one foot in the door, he knew nothing was normal.

Even though it was early morning, the sun didn't seem to shine inside. There was a heaviness in the air, as if the molecules of oxygen were saturated with darkness. The normally loud house was eerily silent. Harry continued to take a few cautious steps forward. As he ventured further in, he could actually hear a voice chanting. At first Harry was confused for the sound was muffled, but then he realized it was coming from the basement.

Rushing over to the door to the basement, he flung it open so he could be reunited with his family. What he saw as he descended the stairs shocked him. The basement was dimly lit and the smell of blood and fire was pungently wafting in the air. His soft spoken mother was chanting in a confident voice as a mysterious wind whipped around her. He could finally make out the words of her chants.

"… _Quaerite quaeritur. Protege qui eligitur. Excelsa autem ponderatio non est hoc. Protege._ _Requaero_ _. Ego nunc præcipio tibi._ " It sounded almost like a spell, but it caused goose bumps to raise on his skin and a tingle of fear to rush down his spine. He couldn't help the whisper that escaped him,

" _Mom…?_ " Even through the loud chanting, his mother still heard her son's voice. There was a pause in her speech and she slowly turned to face him at the feet of the stairs. Pandora's white blonde hair was waving around her and her eyes blazed with a depth of feeling he had rarely been able to witness.

"Harry?" With a roar of wind, all the candles went out simultaneously. The basement was plunged into darkness. A concussing clap of something resembling thunder rang throughout the house. Before Harry could register what was happening, the explosion knocked him to the ground. He slammed hard against the wall behind him. The last thing he registered before his vision went dark was the rumbling of stones and a high-pitched scream calling his name.

-EOEOEOEO-

The faint light streaming through the cracks of the Lovegood's basement was what eventually woke Harry. His ears were still ringing from the explosion and something was obscuring his vision. He tried to lift his hand to his face, but found he couldn't move. After a brief moment of panic, Harry saw he was just trapped under some rubble. He pushed the rocks away from his body and then wiped his face. He felt that it was slick with blood from a deep gash on his forehead. He groaned as he felt a massive headache hit him. Moments later, Harry realized that his injured state was the least of his worries.

The meager light from the cracks in the foundation revealed a grisly sight. Rubble ranging from the size of a pebble to a large boulder scattered the basement. Scattered bits of glass from old potions bottles littered the floor. In the midst of the chaos, one sight held Harry transfixed for a moment. Peaking out from a large boulder across from him was an incredibly white hand. Breaking from the trance, Harry rushed over to the boulder and tried to find a way to move it. All the while he was mumbling, "No, no, no," over and over again. After some effort, he lifted the rock but immediately wished he hadn't.

His beautiful mother was laying there as still as could be. She could have been resting if not for the vacant look in her unseeing eyes and the small trickle of blood that trailed from her mouth. Not believing what was in front of him, he reached out and grabbed his mother's shoulder. Rocking it gently he murmured,

"Mom, please. Mom. Wake up. Please." When nothing happened, he shook her harder.

"Please mom, I need to tell you something. I'm sorry mom. You're my real mom. I don't care anymore. You're my mom. You're my mom." He then gently raised her and held her as tightly as he could. He barely registered the tears streaming down his face. He could hear nothing. He couldn't hear his weeping screams. He couldn't hear his desperate cries. He couldn't hear his meaningless words trying to wake up his mother.

He didn't hear the shouts from upstairs. He didn't hear his sister and father rushing down the stairs. He hardly felt as his sister grabbed him in a desperate embrace.

All he could see was his mother. He could see her trying to cook the family dinner. Her handing him a new book to read. Her with her hands in the dirt gardening. Her smile. Her life. The light in her eyes that was now gone.

He couldn't handle it. He didn't want to feel this way anymore. He didn't want to feel anything anymore.

He took a deep breath and chose to embrace his sister back. His previously tormented face sank into a face of blankness. One last tear escaped the corner of his eyes. This tear wasn't for his mother. It was for the loss of himself, the loss of his childhood.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

 _September 1, 1991_

King's Cross Station was bustling with activity. The muggle side of the station was in its normal state of disarray, but at Platform 9 ¾ things were particularly chaotic. Young wizards and witches scurried around with their friends. Older students reunited with their friends and exchanged stories about the summer holidays. There were even a few parents mingling around. No matter who was around the Hogwarts Express, they were alive with movement. However, one boy stood apart from everyone else and stared intently at the scene. The usual bystander would have a hard time making out his face as steam from the train wrapped around him. He stood in his isolation a moment longer until two people approached him.

"Your trunk all loaded up, Harry?" Turning to face his father, Harry plastered on his best smile and said,

"Yes, father." With a grin that didn't quite reach his eyes, Xenophilius patted his son on the back. Harry tried to hide his disdain at his father's state. His white blonde hair was very untidy, his shirt was only partially tucked in, and his shoes were completely mismatched. Harry knew how hard his mother's passing had been on his father. He was even more unhinged than usual. Xenophilius rarely spoke and when he did he used awkwardly short sentences or strange phrases.

Luna had been a different matter entirely. She had been understandably devastated, but she took great comfort in knowing that she would see her mother again some day. Harry chalked it up to childlike naivety, something that had been taken from him much too early. Because of how deranged Xenophilius had been for the past year, Harry had taken it upon himself to care for his sister. He already enjoyed cooking and other domestic activities, so he had helped around the house as much as he could.

Many times Luna had tried to get Harry to open up about everything. He did his best to deflect every attempt. It wasn't that he trusted his beloved sister, it was more that he refused to even think about all that happened. He refused to let himself feel hurt again. That meant no more unnecessary attachments. Luna was the only exception.

Luna stood on her tiptoes and reached out to adjust Harry's tie.

"You'll stay out of trouble, right? For me?" He couldn't help the snicker that escaped him.

"My dearest Luna, I don't seek out trouble, it just seems to find me." She giggled childishly but stopped as her big blue eyes moistened.

"You'll write?"

"Every day." Luna wrinkled her nose cutely.

"You don't have to every day. Just so much as you don't forget me." Being close to a head taller than her, Harry leaned down so he was eye to eye with her.

"How on earth could I forget my little Luna?" With a brilliant smile, she launched herself at him in a big hug. After a moment's hesitation, he returned the gesture. So no one could hear, she whispered,

" _I'll miss you._ "

" _And I'll miss you just as much._ " A few seconds later and he broke the embrace. His face turned serious again as he faced his father.

"Please take care of her. That means helping get her dressed, feeding her, and making sure she's safe." Because of Xenophilius' distant look, Harry had to be sure he had heard.

"Father, please." Pulling away from whatever world he visited in those moments, Xenophilius looked Harry in the eyes and said,

"Of course, Harry. Now you had better get on the train." Harry let out a sigh of relief having heard that his father would take care of Luna.

"Indeed, I suppose I should." Giving one last round of hugs, Harry got onto the Hogwarts express. He found an empty compartment as quickly as he could. He hastily shut the door and pulled out one of his books. Most of his more advanced books were stowed away in his trunk, so all he had on him were books he had long ago memorized. For an extra challenge, he turned his first year transfiguration book upside-down. Harry buried himself in the book in hopes that no one would disturb him.

Apparently he hadn't done enough as the compartment door slid open. He didn't even look up to see who it was, but the intruder still said,

"Anyone sitting there?" Harry resolutely stuck his nose further into the pages. Undeterred, the boy continued,

"Everywhere else is full." Harry highly doubted that statement. This was a magical train to a magical school, after all. Evidently no answer meant yes, as the boy sat down across from Harry. He tried his best to zone everything out, but more people poked their heads into the compartment and talked to the other boy. When they left a few moments later, Harry hoped that silence could be established. Unfortunately, he was not so lucky.

"I dunno if you heard from my brothers, but I'm Ron Weasley." Ah, yes. The youngest Weasley boy. No disrespect to his most cherished Mrs. Weasley, but she tended to have annoying children.

"I heard _the_ Harry Potter was in our year. Can you believe that?" Harry had a hard time suppressing a snicker.

After learning who is biological parents were, he had made it his duty to find out everything about the last Wizarding War. To his utter surprise, there were less books about the war and more books about the Boy-Who-Lived. Harry had gotten an ironic kick out of that. His parents sacrificed themselves to take Voldie out and the surviving infant got all the credit. What in Merlin's name could a baby do against a Dark Lord? Harry found the whole thing ridiculous.

Fortunately for him, the only thing people knew about the appearance 'Boy-Who-Lived' for sure was that he had a lightning bolt scar on his forehead. Harry's bangs had covered the scar since he was a child. Also, for some reason, there was a sketch of 'Harry Potter' circulating in the Prophet. It was of a scrawny boy with glasses and a visible lightning scar. In all reality, Harry looked nothing like this boy. He had been using a hair taming potion since he had been old enough to care about such things. He didn't have glasses and he was by no means scrawny.

It was no matter, this just helped cement his anonymity for as long as he could manage it. Realizing that Ron was expecting an answer, he mumbled,

"It really is hard to believe." That was all Ron needed to continue.

"I heard he has a huge lightning bolt scar! Do you reckon he remembers what You-Know-Who looks like?" This time, Harry couldn't stop the scoff. He had had occasional nightmares about that night, but most of his nightmares were dominated by something much more… recent, as of late.

"I can't imagine he does remember. He was just a baby after all." Ron deflated at Harry's negative answer. After a few blessed seconds of quiet, Ron pulled something out of his robes. It was the squeaking that finally brought Harry out of his book cocoon.

"What in name of Merlin's beard is that?!" Ron glanced up at his newly revealed compartment mate.

"His name's Scabbers and he's useless, he hardly ever wakes up. Percy got an owl from my dad for being made prefect, but they couldn't aff- I mean, I got Scabbers instead." Harry scoffed at Ron's near admission. He had seen the Weasley's house and wasn't surprised they couldn't afford a new owl. Ron's ears turned pink in embarrassment. Harry only hoped this would shut him up for a little while. Gloriously silent minutes ticked by until it was interrupted by a clattering out in the hall. A smiling woman opened the compartment and asked,

"Anything off the cart, dears?" Well versed in his favorite kinds of candy, Harry asked for a few Licorice Wands, a handful of Chocolate Frogs, and a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. He hadn't eaten a Pumpkin Pasty since Luna's birthday party a few years ago. Ron's pink shade continued as he didn't order anything. Harry let him have a bite or two of his disgusting looking sandwich before he took pity on him.

"Here, have a chocolate frog." Ron visibly brightened at that.

"Do you collect these? I really hope I get Agrippa."

"Not really. Everyone knows that the animation of chocolate is a part of the Cistria Conspiracy. The candy is really frogs that have been turned into chocolate, not the other way around." Ron's face scrunched up in response

"Wha?" Harry didn't really feel like explaining, so he just continued opening up his Chocolate Frogs.

"But if you believe in… whatever that was, why did you buy them?" Finally, a good question.

"Well, I like to release as many chocolate frogs as I can so they can live out the remainder of their lives in happiness." He then opened the window a crack and freed a frog. Ron looked as though he was going to be sick. It seemed that Ron was thoroughly convinced that Harry was a nutter. Harry didn't have much of a problem with that seeing as Ron didn't talk again for a long while.

Harry idly looked out the window to see they had entered the woods. Clearly they were getting closer to Scotland. Harry wondered to himself what would happen if a tree fell in front of the tracks. Would it magically move? Was the train warded?

Harry was interrupted from his musings by a knock on the door. A sniffling round-faced boy opened the door.

"Sorry," he said, "but have you seen a toad at all?" A toad? Why would anyone want a toad? Harry thought it was common knowledge that Northern hags used toads in some curses. Although, maybe the boy wasn't aware of this. After shaking their heads, the boy left. Shortly after, Ron pulled out his wand and started poking at his rat. He began to wave his wand around and Harry wondered if Ron was going to attempt a spell. Before he could do anything, the compartment door slammed open. The round-faced boy was back, but this time he had a frizzy haired girl with him. Resolutely refusing to get involved again, Harry returned to his upside-down book. Apparently Ron had failed at his spell. Surprise, surprise. All Harry overheard from the girl's fast rant was that her name was Hermione Granger. She was about to continue when Harry snapped his book down.

"Granger, eh?" The girl huffed at being interrupted.

"Yes, as I was saying my parents are-"

"Do you happen to be related to Humphrey Granger, the renowned troll tamer?"

"No. I-"

"What about Grizelda Washburner-Granger? The pixie trapeze artist?" Hermione was clearly growing more frustrated by the moment.

"No."

"Perhaps the one-legged half giant Gregory-"

"No, no, no! My parents are muggles."

"…Oh. My mistake." Hermione glared at Harry's barely concealed smirk and continued,

"Do either of you know what house you'll be in? I've been asking around, and I hope I'm in Gryffindor, it sounds by far the best; I hear Dumbledore himself was in it, but I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad…" Before she could go on, Harry interrupted her.

"Do you want to be Dumbledore?" Taken aback, Hermione said,

"Well, I'd like to be like him. He is after all the greatest wizard to ever live!" Harry shook his head.

"That's not what I asked. I asked if you want to _be_ Dumbledore."

"What? What is that supposed to mean?" Harry sighed. For someone so smart, she was not very bright.

"What I'm saying is that you are you, yes?" at her affirmative nod, he continued. "Well, then you shouldn't waste your time trying to be Dumbledore. He may be, to some, the greatest wizard, but being yourself makes you even greater than trying to be someone else." Hermione's face scrunched up in contemplation. She thought on what Harry had said for a few moments before she said,

"I do see your point. Thanks." Clearly ruffled, Hermione retreated but mentioned that Ron should change into his school robes before exiting. Ron let out a relieved laugh once they were alone.

"Thank goodness you drove her off! Whatever house I'm in, I hope she's not in it." Harry couldn't bring himself to agree. The Granger girl had been fun to talk to. Her single-minded know-it-all-ness would be fun to challenge with more open-minded ideas.

Ron continued idly making conversation that ranged from Quidditch to the news. Harry pretended to listen but was mentally counting how many words Ron could say before he realized there was a big bit of Licorice Wand stuck in his teeth.

As the compartment door opened again, Harry wondered if they were allowed to lock the blasted thing. This time, neither the Granger girl nor the toad boy were there. Three boys entered and Harry vaguely recognized one as likely being a Malfoy, based on the white hair.

"We've searched all the compartments and Harry Potter has to be in one of them. Have either of you seen him?" The Malfoy boy was so condescending and rude that Harry didn't respond at first.  
"Nope. Haven't seen him. Perhaps he used other means to get to the castle. He is after all 'The-Boy-Who-Lived'." Harry sneered in sarcasm at the nickname. Malfoy seemed to appreciate the response.

"I doubt that. No matter how spoiled Potter is, the only way to Hogwarts is on this train." Harry nodded but was watching the Malfoy boy's friends with concealed malice. He hated bullies and those who are lackeys to bullies. Malfoy thought his stares meant he needed an introduction.

"Oh, this is Crabbe and this is Goyle. And my name's Malfoy, Draco Malfoy." Ron did his best to conceal a laugh by coughing. Harry scowled at Ron's rudeness. Apparently Draco didn't appreciate it either.

"Think my name's funny, do you? No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford." Even though Harry didn't appreciate how Draco worded it, he couldn't help but agree. Dismissing Ron, Draco turned to Harry.

"Did you say what your name was?"

"No I didn't. Say, Malfoy, coming from the prestigiousMalfoy family, do you always need to be escorted by gorillas?" Malfoy's pale face turned red and he was about to say something when Harry interrupted him.

"Oh, I mean no offense. I'm sure they're well-trained gorillas. I just expected… more from a pureblood heir." Malfoy was clearly thrown off by Harry's round-about words.

"My father will hear about-"

"Oh and there you go, with your father. You know Malfoy, if you keep using flimsy defenses like your lackeys, your father, or your name, you'll never really know who you are without them."

"What's that supposed to mean?" What was with people not understanding his clearly worded pieces of advice? Sighing, he said,

"Well, a mask only fools people on the outside. Pretending to be someone you're not takes a toll on the real you, and the real you is more important than what anyone else wants you to be." Malfoy flinched as if struck. Clearly Harry hit a nerve. Draco never completely recovered his indifferent guise, so he made a hasty retreat.

"Oh and Malfoy? I know you'll be in denial about what I said for a while, but please think about it. I can assure you there's more to life than letting people do things for you." Malfoy's blank mask broke as intense confusion passed over it. Without another word, the boys left the compartment.

Harry reviewed the exchange in his mind and analyzed the result. He could only hope seeds of doubt and deeper thinking had been planted. Ron's loud laughter broke through Harry's musings.

"Did you see that? The git ran away with his tail between his legs!"

"Indeed he did," Harry said as he watched the sun set outside his window. Luckily, the rest of the train ride went uninterrupted. Before he knew it, Harry was boarding a boat to the castle. Ron, Hermione, and the toad boy all sat with him. Idly he mused aloud,

"I wonder if we'll see any Lavellan." Everyone in the boat looked extremely confused, but it was Hermione who finally asked,  
"What are Lavellan?" Harry was confused they had never heard of the creature, but he answered anyways.

"They are gigantic water rats. They're very rare so we probably won't see them." Ron scoffed loudly at Harry's comment. Harry was beginning to get very annoyed with the boy. The rest of the group didn't know what to say, so the boat ride was a quiet one.

When they reached the castle, they were escorted into a chamber off the main dining hall. The students whispered amongst themselves for quite some time, but all Harry could do was idly wonder what kind of bird made the feather that was on Professor McGonagall's hat. He rather liked the professor from the start. He could appreciate her no-nonsense attitude. She returned a few moments later and explained the House system. Harry had read all about it before so he mostly tuned her out. After too many annoying distractions, they finally entered the Great Hall.

Harry ignored all the staring students. There was a lot of whispering. Apparently they were trying to find Harry Potter. They were in for a surprise. Harry was focused on a tattered old hat in the front of the Hall. To his delight, the hat came alive a moment later and began to sing. Normally, Harry was all for usually inanimate objects bursting into song, but he was anxious to get the sorting started.

One by one, various first years were sorted away. To his amusement, Hermione got sorted into Ravenclaw. Ron must be ecstatic. Harry watched with interest as Malfoy's sorting took much longer than expected. To everyone's shock, the hat shouted,

"RAVENCLAW!" There was a long stunned silence. Malfoy took the hat off and walked over to the Ravenclaw table with as much dignity as he could muster. There were a few reluctant claps, but everyone had been expecting Malfoy to go to Slytherin. Only Harry knew that Draco had taken his advice to heart.

After a few more sortings, Professor McGonagall called out,

"Potter, Harry." In the wake of loud whispers, Harry wasn't sure if he wanted to go up at all. Finally, after a few awkward moments, he strode forward. He paid no attention to the murmurs or gasps from his fellow first years. He put the hat on his head and waited. Before long, he heard a voice in his head. At first, he thought he had truly gone mad and was hearing things, but then he realized it was the Sorting Hat.

"Hmm. You are indeed a strange one, Mr. Potter. You have been through so much and for that I am truly sorry. You have ambition but not for power, eh? You're much too jaded and selective with your loyalty. Hmm a powerful mind you have there and a thirst for knowledge. There's talent, oh my goodness yes- and you still have a drive to protect people… So where shall I put you?"

A memory popped into his head. One he hadn't thought of in a long time.

" _You should never change who you are to get people to like you. It's impossible to make everyone like you, for Merlin's sake! Just focus on being yourself and people who still stick around deserve the right to be your friend."_ Harry's eyes misted over at the memory. He heard the Sorting Hat say,

"Ah yes. Your mother. She was indeed a wise one. You are intent on being yourself, no matter what the world throws at you?" Not really knowing what to say, Harry just nodded his head under the hat.

"Well, if you're sure- better be…"


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6  
AN: Thank you all so much for the favorites, follows and reviews! They are fuel for my writing fire. Hope you enjoy the chapter!

"RAVENCLAW!"

Well… that was not the answer everyone had been expecting. There was a smattering of applause, but no more so from the Ravenclaw table than the others had gotten. Harry cared little for the approval of others, so their lackluster reactions didn't really affect him. He noticed that Draco had to taken a seat far from all the rest of his new housemates. Harry felt partially responsible for Draco's new situation. In an attempt to soothe his conscience, Harry decided to sit next to the Malfoy heir. This clearly didn't sit well with Draco, because he shifted as far away from Harry as he could.

The rest of the sorting's went as expected. Ron went into Gryffindor (although Harry was secretly surprised he didn't get sorted into Hufflepuff). Harry didn't really know any of the others who were sorted, nor did he care to know.

When the food arrived, the Ravenclaw students started to talk amongst themselves. Some even plucked up enough courage to ask Harry some typical 'Boy-Who-Lived' questions. Harry did his best to answer their questions in a way that was as annoyingly brief as possible. The Ravenclaws eventually gave up their pestering. However, Hermione seemed to be a nonstop fountain of questions. Unfortunately, ignoring her didn't seem to work. Eventually, she did ask a question that piqued his interest.

"Why is Professor Snape staring at you?" Harry was familiar with most of the professors after overhearing some of the students' conversations. Harry had never so much as met Professor Snape, but the man was staring at him intently. For the first time in a long time, Harry felt his scar tingle ever so slightly. Harry could only wonder if Snape was the one to cause the incident. But when Snape turned away and tingling persisted, he believed there could be another cause. The strangely turbaned Professor Quirrell had his back to Harry. It was only when the professor turned that the tingling stopped. Harry logically concluded that Professor Quirrell was one to keep his eye on. In response to Hermione's question, Harry said,

"Well, he hasn't exactly met me yet, So I couldn't possibly think of a reason why he would be staring at me." Hermione seemed satisfied with Harry's answer, and went back to eating.

Everyone at the table continued mingling, with Hermione interjecting her own intellectual comments here and there. Harry watched with mild amusement as some of the older Ravenclaws talked over Hermione or proved her wrong on some of what she said. Clearly her attitude as a know-it-all would be deflating in the house of know-it-all's.

Professor Dumbledore gave a concluding speech at the end of the feast that Harry barely paid attention to. He knew that the Forbidden Forrest was full of interesting creatures, but it was called forbidden for a reason. The most interesting part of the speech had to be the comment about the classroom on the third floor being off-limits. Harry filed the information away to be contemplated on later.

Everyone left from the hall to their prospective common rooms. The first year Ravenclaws were corralled by their prefects toward Ravenclaw Tower. After ascending a spiral staircase, they stopped at the entrance to the tower. An eagle holding a doorknocker in its mouth was the only indicator that this was the entrance. The girl prefect stepped forward and knocked. A woman's voice emanated from it in a whimsical tone and asked,

"You will always find me in the past. I can be created in the present, but the future can never taint me. What am I?" The female prefect turned back toward the group of first years and asked,

"Does anyone know the answer?" Harry had a pretty good idea of what the answer was, but he was much more interested in thinking about _how_ the door knocker was created. Was it an advanced ward or enchantment? Was the door knocker sentient? Was there a sphinx brain stuffed in there that generated riddles? There were too many more interesting questions to ask than what am I! The rest of the first years were contemplating the answer. One boy in the front called out, "A ghost!" A shy girl asked, "Time?" Other answers were shouted out and Hermione even offered, "Your shadow." They were all wrong. It seemed they weren't going to enter the common room until Draco murmured,

"History." The door knocker wriggled a bit and said,  
"Correct, young man. Try speaking up more next time." All the other first years stared at Malfoy, but stopped once the door swung open for them.

The sight that greeted them took their breath away. They entered a large circular room with bookshelves, comfortable seating, and candles aglow with a warm light. Surprisingly, there was a large piano off in one corner and even a painting easel in front of one of the windows. A big statue of a regal looking woman took center stage in the common room. The windows themselves were large and circled the entire room. Because of the window seats, one could only assume that the views were breathtaking during the day. The room smelled of familiar old books and even vaguely of incense.

Harry immediately felt at home. He loved the comfortable places to curl up with a good book. Even the painting easel reminded him of Luna. Something shimmering caught his eye, and as he looked up he was amazed to see that there were painted stars littering the ceiling. The ceiling was similar to the Great Hall's, in that they reflected the real night sky, but the stars here looked like they were painted on. Harry idly wondered how they accomplished this as a painted shooting star streaked across the night sky. The prefects interrupted his thoughts as they moved in front of the group. The girl prefect coughed to get everyone's attention and announced,

"Welcome to Ravenclaw Tower. I'm Prefect Penelope Clearwater, and I'm delighted to welcome you to Ravenclaw House. If you've noticed, we have windows that look down at the school grounds. Even though it's night now, I assure you that no other house has such stunning views as us. Without wishing to boast, this is the house where the cleverest witches and wizards live. Our Head of House is Professor Flitwick, and he will be passing out your schedules for the week tomorrow. Once classes get started, we encourage you to create study groups since no grade comes easy here, even to Ravenclaws. If any of you ever have any questions, come find me or my fellow prefects and we will do our best to help. Once again, well done on becoming a member of the cleverest and most interesting house at Hogwarts."

With that, the first years were dismissed and began to explore the common room more. Harry was exhausted from the long day, so he approached Penelope and asked,

"Excuse me, Miss Clearwater, but where are the boys' dormitories. I'd like to get settled in." Penelope smacked her hand to her head and said,

"Oh bugger, I knew I'd forget something." She then turned to group of first years and said, "First year dorms are up the first staircase on your right. Boys rooms are on the left and girls are on the right."

With that explanation, Harry wasted no time finding his assigned four-poster bed and collapsing onto it. Not wishing to be disturbed, he closed the drapes and cast a hasty sticking charm so no one could open the curtains. Classes were starting in the morning and Harry could hardly wait.

-EOEOEOEO-

Harry was an early riser, so he had expected to be able to get ready for the day in peace. Unfortunately, it seemed that all the rest of Ravenclaw were early risers too. Harry's dorm mates were eager to introduce themselves to _the_ Harry Potter. Apparently their names were Terry Boot, Michael Corner, and Anthony Goldstein. They continued to talk about themselves, but Harry mostly ignored them. He looked over at Malfoy with envy. None of the other boys had introduced themselves to him. As Harry finished up, he locked his trunk up with multiple bolts and spells. When his dorm mates noticed, one asked him,

"Harry, what're you doing that for? No one can get into the Tower except Ravenclaws. Don't you trust us?" Harry looked up at… what was his name again? Michael?

"Oh yes, I most certainly trust you all." There was a hint of sarcasm that most of the boys missed but Harry noticed Draco's small smirk from across the room.

"I have to protect my things from Nargles." The boys exchanged looks and apparently they had decided not to ask, since they promptly went back to getting ready for the day.

-EOEOEOEO-

Harry had been expecting some sort of academic challenge from his fellow Ravenclaws. He was somewhat disappointed in them. By the end of the first day, most of his fellow students had been passable in their classes. Harry had been studying the knowledge side of magic since he was six, but he had only just gotten his wand to practice with. He had struggled a bit during the practical part of Charms, but at least he wasn't alone. Professor Flitwick also seemed to take a liking to Harry since he had answered quite a few questions correctly. History of Magic and Defense Against the Dark Arts had been a joke. Harry knew everything he needed to know about Goblin Wars because of his Gringotts tutor. He also wasn't sure if he bought Professor Quirrell's stuttering idiot act. It seemed convincing enough, but Harry distinctly remembered his scar twitching. Transfiguration had been at least a little interesting. Hermione had been correcting people on how to best transform a matchstick into a needle. At the end of class, she had been able to make her match silver and a little pointy. Harry seemed to have a knack for transfiguration. His needle would have been near perfect if it hadn't been for the end not being very sharp. He chalked it up to his vast theoretical knowledge and powerful imagination. When Professor McGonagall saw his work, she exclaimed,

"My goodness, Mr. Potter. Five points to Ravenclaw! It seems that you have inherited your father's talent for Transfiguration." Harry scowled at that but didn't respond. As far as he was concerned, his father was alive and well with Luna.

At the end of class as Harry was leaving, an older boy approached him.

"Harry Potter?" he continued at Harry's nod "Prefect Percy Weasley. Professor Dumbledore wants you to come to his office at your earliest convenience." Harry only nodded that he got the message and Percy turned to leave. Harry didn't enjoy getting summoned, so he decided his earliest convenience would be later. However, he heard Percy call out from behind him,

"Mr. Potter? The Headmaster's Office is the other way. The password is Licorice Whip." Harry sighed. Apparently Percy was aware that all the first years had just finished their last class and had some time before dinner.

Harry resigned himself to the meeting and went the right way to the Headmaster's office. He wondered what the Professor could possibly want from him.

-EOEOEOEO-

A few winding corridors and trick stairs later found Harry in front of the Headmaster's office. Steeling himself, Harry said to the griffin protecting the office,

"Licorice Whip." The griffin moved out of the way and Harry climbed the spiral staircase. He then knocked on the door that had to lead to the office. A kindly old man voice called out,

"Enter," and Harry did just that. Harry's attention was immediately diverted from the Headmaster behind his desk and onto the many shiny objects laying around the office. Harry inquisitively examined every single one of them and tried to guess what their purpose was. There was also a bird's perch next to the desk, but no bird was to be seen. Harry longed to read some of the books on the Professor's bookshelf, but they looked so old that he doubted they would be safe to even hold.  
Harry continued ignoring the Professor until the man cleared his throat. Reluctantly, Harry tore himself away from all the shiny things and took a seat across from the headmaster.

"Welcome Mr. Potter. I am Professor Dumbledore." It seemed that the professor was expecting some sort of acknowledgement, but Harry didn't know what to say. After an awkward silence, Harry said,

"Hello there, Professor." A light, like a twinkle, shone off the headmaster's eye in response. Harry wondered if there was a Blibbering Humdinger caught there. The invisible creature did tend to reflect light when invisible.

"Would you like a lemon drop, Mr. Potter?"

"Yes, please." As Harry reached out for one, he hesitated.

"Are they sugar free?"

"I'm afraid not." Harry withdrew his hand and said,

"Then no thank you." The twinkle from the Headmaster's eye was definitely not there after that.

"Well then, down to business. Harry, my boy, where have you been for the past ten years?" Harry scowled. He had definitely not given the Professor permission to call him by his first name, let alone 'my boy'!

"Well, professor, I have a hard time seeing how it is your business." Nonplussed, Professor Dumbledore continued.

"My dear boy, it is does become my business as I am Headmaster of Hogwarts!"

"Uhhh no it doesn't." Decidedly thrown off, Professor Dumbledore decided to try a different route.

"Harry, my boy, you were left with your aunt and uncle after your parents died. When, for some reason, you didn't stay there, no one could find you. It wasn't until Hogwarts letters went out that we knew you were even alive."

"I still don't see why you should care."

"You see, dear boy, I was the one who left you in your aunt's care." Things were starting to make sense to Harry.

"Ohh… So you were the one who left me at the doorstep of some magic-hating muggles that I was lucky to escape from. I knew that you left a letter with me, but I had no idea you personally dropped me off there like the morning post." Harry's words were biting but masked in a fake jovial tone. Dumbledore sighed and said,

"See here, my boy-"

"No, _you_ see here, professor. My _relatives_ were ready to leave me on the streets. I was lucky that my caretakers for the past ten years found me before they could do that."

"I'm afraid, Harry, I must insist you tell me where you have been." Harry was really starting to get frustrated.

"I'm afraid, Professor Dumbledore, that you will have to be disappointed." Harry got up and was about to leave when the headmaster said,

"I cannot allow you to go back there after school to somewhere that may be unsafe." Harry spun around at that. How dare he.

"I can assure you, professor, if you were unable to find me for ten years, then where I am going must be safe. Good day." Harry reached out to grab the door handle, but he heard it lock before he could open it. Clearly the headmaster would not let him leave without an answer. Hoping that a tease at an answer would be enough, he said,

"Professor, please believe me when I tell you that my guardians raised me well and I will forever be grateful for their love and protection. They took care of me entirely within the law and obtained permission to do so. If you want to know more, look it up. You're the headmaster. You should be able to figure it out from here." With that said, Harry found that the door to leave was open once more and he left before the headmaster could interrogate him more.

That was certainly an interesting exchange. It was strange how invested the headmaster was in him. Harry made a mental note to look into it more later. He regretted giving the professor a lead on how to find out the Lovegoods raised him. He had been hoping to keep some modicum of privacy. At least it would take Professor Dumbledore a long time to find the paperwork. Goblins were renowned for their poor bookkeeping (when the one asking was being particularly rude).

-EOEOEOEO-

The next day, Harry found he was excited for Potions class in the afternoon. He had thoroughly enjoyed working on potions with… his mother. She had been an excellent teacher and Harry's love of cooking logically extended to potions as well. The Ravenclaws had Potions with the Hufflepuffs. Harry's classmates groaned at the thought of the mess the 'Puffs would make.

The Ravenclaws all arrived early to class and took their seats long before the first Hufflepuff wandered in. Harry took a seat next to Hermione since she was one of the only ones alone in a seat. A smart Ravenclaw girl knew that Draco was a pureblood, and thus probably good at potions, so she had placed herself next to him. Harry's classmates had steadily started ignoring him, thankfully. His weird antics had thrown everyone off, and Harry suspected it was only his 'Boy-Who-Lived' status that saved him from open mockery. Hermione had also found herself excluded from the other Ravenclaws. Most of the house was comprised of half-bloods or pure-bloods, so a bossy muggle born was almost an insult to them. Hermione had quickly found that the only one who tolerated her at all was Harry.

Once all of the Hufflepuffs had entered and it was time for class to start, Professor Snape banged open the classroom door and entered with his cloak billowing behind him. Hermione immediately took out some parchment to start taking notes, and Harry did the same. However, he found himself distracted by a funny idea and began doodling. Apparently, Snape had began taking role call since he paused at Harry's name.

"Ah yes," he said softly, "Harry Potter. Our new- _celebrity._ " Harry tried to hide his smile. He hardly considered himself a celebrity, but it was nice of the professor to point it out. Harry spaced out most of Snape's lecture after role-call. He was almost done with his doodle of a bat with billowing wings, all he had left to do was add some slick black hair and the resemblance would be uncanny.

"Potter!" said Snape suddenly. "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?" Harry looked up from his doodle in confusion. He didn't say anything in response.

"Don't know, Potter? Fame clearly isn't everything." Next to Harry, Hermione was fidgeting and biting her lip. She probably knew the answer but had learned her lesson about stealing another Ravenclaw's opportunity to answer a question.

"Let's try again. Potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?" Once again Harry didn't answer because of his confusion. Snape was clearly beginning to get frustrated at Harry's lack of response.

"What is the difference, Potter, between monkshood and wolfsbane?" At Harry's blank face, Snape spat out,

"Potter are you simply too dumb to answer or have you become mute?" A look of realization passed Harry's face.

"Ohhh. Sorry for the confusion, professor. I thought you were asking me if I knew because _you_ didn't know. I was just wondering, how on earth could a Potions Master not know answers from a fifth year Hogwart's textbook?!" Harry then chuckled to himself as if in response to his own private joke. Snape spluttered in astonishment and was about to say something when Harry continued.

"Well, professor, asphodel is a lovely type of lily," Snape flinched a bit at that, "and wormwood is a bitter herb used in many potions. Asphodel and wormwood are two key ingredients in brewing the Draught of Living Death. To answer your next question, one would just go to any well-stocked potions store to get a bezoar. But you probably wanted to know that it normally comes from the stomach of a goat. I wonder how they get that out of there….? Anyways, I was kind of confused by your next question, but it's a trick question isn't it? Monkshood and wolfsbane are one in the same… but then again you'd have to pick them at different times in the lunar cycle to be used in certain potions, so I guess there is some distinction…" Harry trailed off a bit when he noticed that Snape's mouth was slightly agape. He also heard a few Ravenclaws taking notes on what he had said. Once Snape had recovered, he turned to the Hufflepuffs and spat out,  
"Well? Why aren't the rest of you taking notes?" Snape then waved his wand and instructions for the Boil Curing Potion appeared on the board behind him. Seeing that as a dismissal, everyone got started on their potions. Snape had spent the whole time staring holes into Harry, but Harry tried not to acknowledge it. Harry and Hermione were a good team. From experience, Harry knew that if the snake fangs were minced instead of crushed, their properties would release a little slower, thus making the potion more potent. He was about to add the fangs when Hermione stopped him.

"Harry, what're you doing? You have to crush the fangs. It says to right on the board." Harry shook his head.

"Hermione, if I don't add these right now, the timing for the heating of the potion will be off. Can I just add them and explain my reasoning after?" Seeing as she had no choice, Hermione relented.

By the end of the class, three Hufflepuff cauldrons had almost exploded, but had been saved at the last minute. When Hermione and Harry went up to turn their potion in, Snape took one look at the potion and accepted it, mumbling,

"Passable."

As they were leaving, Hermione stopped Harry.  
"How did you do that? The potion was the exact shade of blue that it was supposed to be! I can't believe Snape didn't say anything else about it! Ours was easily the best out of all! Granted, he does hate you for some reason so that could be why." Harry laughed at Hermione's fast barrage of words.

"Well, to answer your question, I have been brewing a variation of the boil curing potion since I was eight that helped plants be immune to harmful bacteria. I rarely used the book while brewing and found that by process of trial and error, that by mincing the snake fangs, they increase the potency of the brew. Simple really." Hermione stared at Harry until she finally found words to say.

"You just _experimented_ with potions? Just for fun? Harry, you really are a strange one." Instead of being condescending, Hermione almost said the last part teasingly. Harry found he liked Hermione's company. She was pleasant enough to talk to and she was fun to work with in class.

Perhaps he should break his vow of isolation this one time. He didn't like opening himself to the chance of getting hurt, but perhaps this time it would be worth it.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

AN: Hello everyone! I edited a few previous chapters a bit so they make more sense. You can go back and read them or you can keep going. Nothing major changed, but a few plot holes were fixed a bit. Enjoy reading!

Between exams, class work, and Hermione's intense 'study sessions', Harry had barely noticed that he had been at Hogwarts for two whole months. He missed his family, but getting letters from them helped tremendously. He treasured every single one of the letters they sent him. Occasionally, Luna would send him some Dirigible Plums in case he ran out. It would be wonderful to go back home for Christmas break, but the Ravenclaw Common Room was becoming something of a 'home away from home'.

The day before of Halloween, Harry received two letters from home. Harry had been delighted to hear from Luna how their dad had been caring for her as promised. Apparently, he had even started a new project involving Ravenclaw's diadem. Harry had sent his father numerous letters detailing the replica in the Ravenclaw tower. Harry read both his father's and Luna's letters with amusement. Unfortunately, he was interrupted as someone plopped into the seat next to him. Because of the jolt, some pumpkin juice spilled all over Harry's letters. Harry scrambled to try to save the letters, but the ink was already running. Infuriated, Harry turned to see who had done such a thing. None other than Ron Weasley was sitting next to Harry, chomping obnoxiously on a breakfast pastry.

"Hey, Harry. We haven't talked for a while! I know you're in Ravenclaw and everything but if you ever want to escape the boring know-it-all's," Ron not so subtly gestured over to Hermione who was reading a book, "you should hang with us Gryffindors! We could play some exploding snap!"

Harry glared at Ron so intensely, it was surprising he didn't burst into flames. Ron obliviously continued eating with his mouth open, waiting for a response. Harry took a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself. It didn't work.

"Weasley. I don't know where you get off talking to me as if we're friends. This has been the longest conversation we've had since the train ride. In the span of that time, you have ruined letters from my family, insulted my housemates, and have acted in a boorish manner. So, no, I won't play exploding snap with you, today or any other day." Harry then gathered his things and got up to leave. Ron then yelled,

"But you're the bloody Boy-Who-Lived! You're supposed to be brave and all that, not like… this! You just need proper friends, is all." Harry openly laughed at that.

"If you're a 'proper' friend, then I'm a crumple horned snorkack!" Ron vaguely registered that he had been insulted.

"What the bloody hell is that?! You're a nutter, Potter!"

"And you're a thick-headed moron, Weasley!" At this point, Ron's face was as red as his hair.

Ron's face turned an even brighter shade of red than Harry had ever seen before.

"Just like all Ravenclaws, all talk and no action! If you had any honor, you'd stopping jabbering and face me like a real wizard." Harry scoffed at that.

"I highly doubt you've used your hand-me-down wand for anything but scratching an itch between your arse!" All the Gryffindors around Ron laughed at that.

"That's it Potter, you and me. Wizard's duel."

"What, now?" Ron looked up at the head table to see that no one was still looking.

"Not now, are you barmy? Who's your second?" With little hesitation, Harry answered,

"Hermione." At hearing her name, she got up and said,

"Harry, I don't think this is a good idea." Harry whispered,

" _Sure it is. Trust me._ " He then winked at her conspiratorially.

"Dean'll be my second." Ron was about to suggest a place, when Harry interjected,

"Trophy Room. Does midnight give you enough time to brush up on the only two spells you know?" Not having a witty response, Ron sneered,

"Of course. We'll be there." At that they turned away and Hermione followed Harry out.

"What on earth were you thinking, Harry. If we're caught, we could be expelled or-"

"Hermione, have a little faith. Of course we're not going to be out past hours. I'm going to go to the trophy room now and set a little surprise waiting for them." Hermione reluctantly agreed to help after that.

After setting the 'surprise' up, Harry and Hermione were scurrying back to the Ravenclaw common room. They still had a few less than allowed objects with them, so if they were stopped by a teacher, things may not go very well.

Unfortunately, their luck ran out near the third floor when they heard footsteps approaching. Harry and Hermione scrambled for the nearest open door. They finally got cornered in a hall with only one door in it. The door unfortunately was locked, and Hermione had to cast a fast Unlocking Spell in order to get in.

They shut the door as fast as they could. Harry heard voices pass by saying,

"-all well and good, but don't you think a Shrinking Charm would be just as sufficient, Filius?"

"Yes, but where's the fun in what's easy?" The voices trailed off and Harry let out a sigh in relief. His relief was short-lived when he turned around, however. He quickly put his hand over Hermione's mouth to keep from squealing. Before them was a three-headed dog. Harry hastily whispered to Hermione,  
" _Don't make a sound. Cerberus are nocturnal, so if we are quiet we won't wake it_ "

As quietly as they could, they left the room behind them. On their way back to the common room, they discussed why on earth a Cerberus would be in Hogwarts. Also, why it was sleeping on top of a trapdoor on the floor. Harry had no idea, yet. He needed more information. He had a feeling this had something to do with Quirrell and he had a bad feeling about the whole situation.

-EOEOEOEO-

The next morning, Ron and Dean were found bumbling around the trophy room, unable to leave. Filch found evidence of an exploding snap incident involving a Babbling Beverage. Ron and Dean had been unable to speak coherently for the rest of the day. Gryffindor's house points went down substantially, and when asked, Ron would never admit he had found a letter near the potion saying,

" _Now who looks like a nutter?"_

-EOEOEOEO-

He had been letting Hermione spend time with him more. He never really answered any of her questions, but she quickly learned that Harry's reclusive nature would not change so easily. Harry's opinion of her had changed a great deal a few days earlier when she had shared something about her childhood.  
"You were bullied?" Hermione's face had turned red, as if that was something to be ashamed of.

"Yeah. I never really had any friends. My classmates all thought I was too weird and bookish. I thought coming to a magical school would change things, but it turns out that kids are mean whether they have magic or not." Harry turned deadly serious as he asked,

"Have you been bullied at Hogwarts?"

"Oh, nothing so obvious. Just all the Ravenclaw girls avoid me if at all possible. I had just been hoping to find a friend while I was here." Before he could consider what he was saying, he blurted out,

"Well, you've found one." Hermione's eyebrows scrunched together.

"Found what?"

"…a friend." When Harry considered what he had said, he realized he was telling the truth. While he did despise bullying, the thought of Hermione being bullied made him angrier than normal. Hermione had then launched herself at Harry in a tight hug. When Harry stiffened in surprise, she pulled back.  
"Oh Harry, I'm sorry! I just got so excited!" Harry nodded and said,

"It's fine. Just- baby steps." Hermione giggled and agreed.

From that day on, Harry and Hermione could rarely be found without the each other. Harry still got his alone time, but Hermione was there too, studying in silence with him. Harry found himself growing more care-free than he could remember. Something about having a companion just felt… right.

Unfortunately, Harry and Hermione's budding friendship cast one of their Ravenclaw classmate's loneliness into a stark contrast. For the past two months, Draco had tried to talk to people he used to know in Slytherin, but they all either ignored him or outright insulted him. None of his fellow Ravenclaws wanted to be associated with the son of a Deatheater. Harry had begun to feel very guilty about Draco's isolation.

So instead of minding his own business in the library Halloween morning, Harry approached Draco. Because of Harry's blunt social skills, he walked right up to Draco and stood next to him. Harry could think of nothing to say, so finally Draco drawled,

"What do you want, Potter." Harry noticed Draco's usually biting tongue was absent. Something really must be wrong.

"I just wanted to see how you were doing." Draco half-heartedly rolled his eyes.

"As fine as could be expected Potter. Now if you'll excuse me-" Before Draco could brush past him, Harry blurted out,  
"I never congratulated you on making it into Ravenclaw." Draco scoffed.

"No congratulations are needed."

"Of course they are! You made it into the cleverest and most intelligent house at Hogwarts. Your parents must be proud." Draco barely concealed a wince at that. He then looked down and mumbled something. Harry leaned in and whispered,

" _What was that_?" Not appreciating the intrusion into his personal space, Draco pushed Harry back and bit out.  
"I said they don't know!" That wasn't the answer Harry had been expecting. Draco rubbed his face with his hands and Harry suddenly noticed how weary the Malfoy heir looked.

"In their letters, they never even asked. They were too busy going on about how planning for this or that was going, or what bill was about to be passed in the Ministry. They never cared enough to ask, they just assumed… so I let them." Harry had never realized how unfortunate Draco's circumstances were.

"Draco, I'm sorry-"

"I don't need your pity, Potter," Draco maliciously spat out. He then looked up around the bookshelves, as if realizing for the first time how public of a situation they were in.

"I have to go," Draco stated. He then strode away before Harry could say anything else. Harry sighed. He should have known that conversation wouldn't have turned out well. At least he had said something, though. Harry shrugged and put the conversation at the back of his mind. He had some studying to do for the next charms class.

-EOEOEOEO-

It wasn't until lunch that he was forced to remember his conversation with Draco. Everyone was gathered in the Great Hall for lunch while some teachers milled around preparing for the Halloween feast. Usually, post owls only come in the morning, so it was to everyone's surprise when an eagle owl swooped into the hall at breakneck speeds. It rushed toward the Ravenclaw table and dropped off a red letter in front of Draco. Immediately, murmuring broke out throughout the hall. Even Harry knew what a howler was when he saw it. Why did Draco get a howler? Suddenly, Harry remembered his and Draco's library conversation and said,

"Oh, bugger." Hermione looked at him strangely and asked,

"What is that red letter for?" Harry winced as Draco picked up the letter. Apparently he was going to open it in front of everyone.

"You'll see in a moment." As calmly as he could, Draco opened the letter, but dropped it immediately as an older male voice yelled from it,

" _ **DRACO LUCIUS MALFOY! I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU DIDN'T TELL US ABOUT YOU NOT GETTING INTO SLYTHERIN. HOW DARE YOU BE SORTED INTO RAVENCLAW. I HAD TO HEAR IT FROM PRUDENCE PARKINSON OF ALL PEOPLE TODAY AT THE MINISTRY! I AM ASHAMED TO CALL YOU MY SON. IF YOU DO EVEN ONE MORE THING TO EMBARRASS THE MALFOY NAME, YOU WILL BE DISOWNED."**_

After delivering the message, the message burst into flames. Draco didn't stay long enough to watch the letter become ashes. He promptly strode from the Hall with as much dignity as he could muster. As he left, the Gryffindors and even some Slytherins laughed. Harry noticed that Ron was the loudest of the bunch. Hermione turned to Harry and said,

"Oh how awful! I can't believe Draco's father could be so cruel. Should we go after him?" Harry shook his head and said,

"No, we shouldn't. He just needs some time alone. If we tried to go after him now, I'm sure he'd be angry at us for pitying him." Hermione nodded, but still looked uncomfortable about leaving Malfoy alone. Harry figured there was nothing to worry about

-EOEOEOEO-

Harry began to realize that there was something indeed to worry about when Draco didn't show up for Charms class that afternoon. He dismissed his concerns. Malfoy had to be fine. Harry even overheard one of the older Gryffindors joking that he had seen Draco headed toward the Hospital tower to get a salve for the 'burn' his dad had given him. Harry really realized he had to worry when Draco didn't come to the Halloween Feast. However, Harry didn't see the harm in not knowing exactly where Draco was.

Suddenly, the doors to the Hall banged open and Quirrell came sprinting in. His turban was flying about and his face was in a mask of terror. Once he reached the head table, he gasped out,

"Troll- in the dungeons- thought you ought to know." He then slumped into a dead faint.

Immediately, all the students simultaneously panicked. Harry, however, was staring at Quirrell with suspicion. The man, who Harry was already watchful of, had exclaimed the existence of a troll without a single stutter. This was a massive slip in character as far as Harry was concerned. Something seriously strange was going on, since Headmaster Dumbledore ordered everyone to go back to their dorms. The Slytherin dorms were in dungeons, for Merlin's sake! Either the headmaster was seriously negligent, of something very sinister was going on. Either way, Harry could bet that the troll was anywhere _but_ the dungeons. The Ravenclaws were getting ready to go back to their common room, when Hermione pulled Harry aside.

"We have to find Draco! What if he's in danger?" Harry was normally not one to plunge headfirst into an unknown situation. However, Harry felt partially responsible for Draco's absence. Harry relented and they started to search for Draco. Harry remembered the conversation he overheard about Draco being in the Hospital Wing. Harry figured it was as good a start as any.

They ran into the Hospital Wing and were relieved to see Draco talking to Madam Pomphrey.

"-for the headache potion. I needed it. If you could sign right there so I have an excused absence from class this afternoon." Harry was unsurprised Draco was trying to wiggle out of getting in trouble for missing class. He and Hermione rushed up to Draco and he spat out,  
"What do you lot want?" As quickly as Hermione could, she said,

"There's a troll in the-" As if on cue, the doors to the infirmary slammed open and a twelve-foot troll barged in. It looked around the space with dumb beady eyes. Madam Pomphrey gasped and yelled,

"Take cover!" They all dashed to get under the closest hospital bed. Unfortunately, this plan didn't last long, as the troll began grabbing the beds and swinging them around.

Harry knew they had to do something, and fast. He quickly ran through everything he knew about trolls. They were massively strong, but incredibly stupid. They had thick skin that was spell resistant. There had to be a weakness!

Harry's rapid thinking was disrupted when one of the beds the troll threw hit a cart near Harry that was full of potions. A few bottles rolled in front of Harry and he recognized a few of them. A small green bottle and a larger blue bottle stuck out the most to Harry. He immediately identified them as Essence of Dittany and Burning Bitterroot. A plan immediately formed in Harry's mind.

"Hermione!" he was barely heard over the roars from the troll and Madam Pomphrey's screams. Hermione crawled over to under Harry's bed farther away from the troll.

"Do you know how to cast the fire-making spell?" Despite the circumstances, Hermione went into academic mode.

"Of course. We went over the incantation just last week in Herbology to deal with Devil's Snares." That was the answer Harry needed.  
"Do you trust me Hermione?" It was only with slight hesitation that she answered,  
"Yes…"

"Then when I tell you to, cast _Incendio_ on the troll." Hermione shook her head.

"Trolls have spell resistant skin it wouldn't work-"

"See, that's where the trust part comes in." Without another word, Harry crawled away from her while grabbing the Dittany and the Salve. He cast a quick _Engorgio_ on the salve and commenced his plan. First he threw the salve on the troll. The sticky salve covered the troll quickly. The troll roared in confusion at being covered in something so strange. Before the troll could do anything else, Harry threw the Essence of Dittany on the troll. A strange green vapor rose from the troll's skin. Once he saw the vapors rising, Harry yelled,  
"Now Hermione!" She bravely left her hiding spot to cast better.

" _Incendio!_ " The green vapors quickly caught fire, distracting the troll. It waved its club around, trying to douse the flames from its own body. It was so disoriented that it didn't notice that it was backing up toward one of the hospital wing windows. Before they knew it, the troll backed into the window, fell through it, and fell a two stories to the ground. Harry and Hermione rushed over to the window to look at the troll. There were still some parts on fire, but most of it had been put out on impact. Hermione gasped and asked,

"Harry, is it dead?" he sighed.

"I doubt it. Trolls are stupid, but it takes more than that to kill one. It's probably just knocked out." Hermione breathed out a sigh of relief. The pair turned away from the window and finally noticed the damage that had been done. Beds were strewn everywhere. Broken potion bottles and other bits of glass littered the floor.  
They then noticed that Draco Malfoy was staring at them. He was even paler than ever, but his gray eyes were steely.

"You two saved me. Why?" Harry was going to say something like Hermione made him, but she instead said,

"Why wouldn't we? You're in our house. You didn't know about the troll, so we came to warn you… we were worried about you" His eyes widened.

"You were worried about me?" Harry decided to answer this one.  
"Of course we were! Us Ravenclaw outcasts have to stick together." It was probably the shock of the situation, but Harry was shocked to see Draco chuckling. It was the first time he had seen the Malfoy boy laugh.

Before anyone else could say anything, loud footsteps preluded the entry of Professor Flitwick, shortly followed by Snape and Quirrell. Harry's eyes narrowed suspiciously upon seeing Quirrell. However, Snape quickly stole his attention. Harry had never seen the man so mad. He also noticed that Snape had a very noticeable limp. All three professors looked out the window to see the troll laying there. Snape then whipped around to face them.

"Well, well. Potter and Granger, why am I not surprised? Ignoring orders from the headmaster, damaging school property and destroying precious potions. How like your father, Potter. Complete disregard for anything but yourself. You had better have a good explanation for this!" Harry and Hermione looked down. They knew they had no explanation that would be good enough for Snape.

"It was my fault." Everyone looked over at Malfoy in surprise.  
"They were looking for me. I came to the hospital wing for a headache potion and they were just trying to warn me about the troll… They saved my life." Snape stared at Draco for a long time. When no one said anything for a while, Draco held his head high and said,

"My father is on the school board. If need be, I will talk to him so that these two get treated fairly." Everyone knew exactly what Malfoy was saying. Even though his father was mad at him, he was willing to stick up for Harry and Hermione. Professor Flitwick finally spoke up and said,

"I don't think that will be necessary, Mr. Malfoy. Unfortunately, five points will be taken from Ravenclaw for you missing class." Malfoy looked down, but he knew that the professor had been lenient. Flitwick then turned to Harry and Hermione and said,

"As for you two…" they winced, awaiting their punishment, "five points each for innovative thinking and use of your surroundings. Consider yourselves lucky you three survived this. You had better go back up to Ravenclaw tower." The three did just that, before Snape could say anything else.

They were halfway there when Draco stopped them.

"I just wanted to say… thanks. You didn't have to do that. Potter. Granger." For the first time, Harry saw Draco being vulnerable.

"Of course. And please, call me Harry." Hermione stepped forward and said with a smile,

"And me Hermione." With a small grin twisting his pale face, Draco responded,

"Alright then Harry, Hermione. Please call me Draco then."

From that moment on, the three of them were friends. Draco was happy to finally have people who were cared enough to risk their lives for him. Hermione was elated to have anyone willing to hang out with her. Harry felt his hardened heart begin to melt from its icy prison. Perhaps having friends wouldn't be so bad after all.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The weeks following Halloween were some of the best times for Draco since he had arrived at Hogwarts. At first, Draco was a little uncomfortable with being friends with people he never would have expected to accept him, let alone like him. He still was having trouble associating with a muggleborn, but since he and Hermione rarely spent time alone without Harry, he didn't mind it much. Draco was starting to enjoy talking to Harry. He was open and honest in response to whatever Draco would say. He also liked that for the first time, he didn't have to pretend to be anything other than what he was. Draco's family had never understood Draco, and now he had friends who did.

Also, Draco was excited to finally have friends who could watch Quidditch with him! Draco asked Harry to go to the Ravenclaw/Hufflepuff game, but-

"I've got some research to do. Important stuff. Can't make it." Before Draco could say anything, Harry was off.

"But... what? Who else can I go to the game with?!" Draco sighed, but started when Hermione sat next to him.

"I can go to the game with you! I've never been, but I've read _Quidditch Through the Ages_ and I've always wanted to go to one!" Draco sighed. Going with the muggleborn would be better than going alone, he figured.

Draco shot a glare at where Harry had been a moment ago. What kind of research could be more important than Quidditch?

-EOEOEOEO-

Harry had too many important questions that he had been putting off to go to a silly Quidditch game. The Cerberus in the forbidden corridor had been weighing heavily on his mind. The conundrum from Halloween also had to be solved. Also, why was Quirrell giving Harry weird looks when he thought he wasn't looking? All of these were important issues, but Harry decided to tackle the first one. After all, how does one eat a Crumple Horned Snorkack? One bite at a time.

That was why, later in the afternoon, Harry waltzed past the Quidditch Pitch, toward the Forbidden Forest. However, the forest was not his final destination, but a tiny shack at the edge of it. Harry had asked around and found out that Hagrid was the Groundskeeper and was an expert in all creatures that were more than a little dangerous. Perhaps the Groundskeeper would know something about the Cerberus, or at least be able to tell Harry something about them.

Harry strode right up to the door of the shack and was about to knock, when a dog's bark interrupted him. Before he knew it, the door was thrown open and a huge dog launched itself at Harry. He immediately thought how ironic, the Boy-Who-Lived, eaten by a giant dog. But instead of being bitten, the dog started licking Harry's entire face with a wet, slobbery tongue.

"Oi! Fang, gerroff 'im!" The dog, who's name apparently was Fang, leapt off of Harry back into the hut.

"What an enormous dog you have, Mr. Hagrid," Harry laughed as he wiped some slimy spit off his face. When he was able to see properly, Harry saw Hagrid standing at the door with a crossbow in his hands. Hagrid and his dog had a lot in common. They were shaggy, wild-looking, and above all massive.

"Jus' call me Hagrid, lad. N' you are…?" Harry brushed himself off a bit and stuck out his hand.

"Oh, how rude of me. Harry Potter, you've probably heard- erf!" Instead of taking his hand, Hagrid had pulled him into a big hug.

"'Course I know who yeh are! I was hopin' yeh'd come by!" Harry was pleasantly surprised by the turn of events. Perhaps Hagrid could be a far larger well of information than he had anticipated.

-EOEOEOEO-

Draco sighed and put his head in his hands. Ravenclaws were rubbish at Quidditch, and Hufflepuffs weren't much better. Hermione seemed to be enjoying herself though.

"Go Eagles! What're you doing?! Steal that ball-thingy!" Draco huffed.

"It's called the quaffel. I thought you said you read _Quidditch Through the Ages?_ " Hermione didn't take her eyes off the action, but said,

"Umm I may have just skimmed it. The history was fascinating but all those rules…" Draco chuckled at Hermione. She didn't seem like one to enjoy a book about sports, even a magical sport.

One of the Hufflepuffs fell off his broom- again. So they decided to take a timeout. In the absence of any action, Hermione took her seat next to Draco. They sat there in awkward silence as Draco realized that this was the first time he had ever been alone with her. Draco's normally witty tongue turned to lead.

Fortunately, Hermione broke the silence a few moments later by saying,

"I've done a lot of reading about the Wizarding World, but you've actually lived it. What's it been like?" Draco sighed. How does one raised by the wizarding elite explain the vast intricacies of politics, wizard's belief systems, and high society to a simple muggleborn? Perhaps he should start small.

"Well, I'm not sure how other families raised their children, but my parents raised me to follow a strict path. Be a Slytherin, make allies for the Malfoy family, and above all, bring honor to the family name. I was given etiquette lessons, magical theory lessons, and politics lessons since I was old enough to understand words. It's my understanding that most Ancient or Noble wizard families are like that. Before an heir to a prestigious family is even born, their whole lives are planned out for them." Draco progressively got more wistful as his explanation continued.

"Wow. In the muggle world, we're told we can be whatever we want to be. Well, except for the really rich families. Old wizard families kind of sound like the elite muggles from what I know. They also-" Draco had to stop her there. He scoffed and said,

"Wizards are nothing like _muggles_. We are far more advanced than those bumbling fools. We are blessed with the gift of magic! I don't expect a muggleborn like yourself to understand." Hermione huffed at this.

"Well, I don't expect a spoiled wizard to know anything about people without magic! Without magic doing everything for them, muggles have invented fantastic machines that can do things for them. While you lot have been sitting on your thumbs, muggles were inventing automobiles, airplanes, and pens! For goodness sake, who uses quills anymore?" Hermione was getting rather ruffled up, and Draco didn't really feel like arguing with her. Her hair would just get even more frizzy and she'd keep yelling at him.

"Alright, alright! Maybe I don't know much about muggles, but you don't know much about wizards either! My father says that's the problem with muggleborns, they never bother to know anything about wizard culture, so they go around mucking our world up." Hermione seemed to accept Draco's unspoken apology and she thought about what he said before saying,

"I can see what your dad is saying. It would be easy for me to accidentally do something embarrassing just because I don't know how the wizard world works. But he really shouldn't make sweeping statements like that. Not all muggleborns are the same! I for one want to know everything I can about wizard culture. How about we make a deal?" Draco wasn't sure he liked where she was headed with this, but he nodded all the same.

"How about you teach me about wizard culture and I'll teach you about muggle culture." Draco's inbred instinct was to reject the idea. However, he had to admit that Hermione was right that he was being hypocritical about muggles. Sighing, Draco said,

"Fine. We can talk about it before our study group sessions." Hermione smiled brighter than he had ever seen. He couldn't help the half smile that crept onto his face as well.

For a muggleborn, Hermione wasn't half bad. She might be rude every once in a while, but she was brilliant when it came to school work and she was willing to learn about Wizarding culture. Draco's musings were cut off when the Quidditch game resumed. However, he couldn't keep the half smile off his face for the rest of the game.

-EOEOEOEO-

Things with Hagrid could not be going better. Harry had learned some valuable pieces of information, such as: the three-headed dog's name was Fluffy, the Cerberus fell asleep when it heard music, and what kinds of meat were the Thestral's favorites. Very important stuff. Since Hagrid didn't know Harry knew about Fluffy being in the castle, he didn't see the harm in sharing about his latest 'pet'. All Harry had had to do was vaguely answer Hagrid's questions, ask some key ones of his own, and endure Hagrid's ramblings between key tidbits of information. Even though Harry never mentioned the Dursley's, Hagrid was thrilled when Harry described his pleasant childhood. Hagrid never asked the right questions and so Harry never gave specific answers. Harry was surprised that Hagrid thought the Dursleys were the ones who had cared for him so well. After all, Hagrid should at least have an idea of how awful they were. However, Harry had learned that people only heard what they wanted to hear and saw what they wanted to see, so that's exactly what Hagrid saw.

The conversation was going well, until Harry had to stop Hagrid.

"Hold on, you want to get a dragon?!" Hagrid leaned back as if this was a source of pride for him.

"'Course! Dragons're such misunderstood creatures! They aint as bad as everyone thinks. Yeh know I took care 'o Fluffy, how hard can a dragon be?" Harry brought his hand up to his face and sighed.

"Hagrid… Do you have any idea what you're talking about? Do you know what dragon's do?" Hagrid was about to answer Harry's rhetorical question, but Harry continued, "They breath fire, Hagrid. They're massive, they fly, and they breath fire! We are in a wooden hut, near a forest and a school full of children. This whole house, including you and Fang are flammable, for Merlin's sake!" Hagrid deflated in his seat and muttered,

"I hadn't uh, thought 'o tha." Harry stood up and was at Hagrid's shoulder height while he was sitting. Harry reached up and patter Hagrid on the shoulder and said,

"I'm sorry Hagrid, but it probably wouldn't be a good idea if you brought a dragon to Hogwarts. Besides, things rarely turn out the way we think they will. Sometimes that's for the best." Hagrid nodded his head and said,  
"Yer right, Harry. 'Sides, I wouldn' want Fang ter get hurt."

"You know what, Hagrid, I admire your love for misunderstood animals. Maybe you can visit a dragon sanctuary or something. I bet you could go there during the summer to help out." At this idea, Hagrid visibly perked up.

"I just might do tha'. Thank yeh, Harry."

"No problem. I'd best be off now," Harry and Hagrid stood up and he was about to leave when he said,  
"It really is for the best Hagrid. Besides, you really should look after Fluffy. I bet he's getting lonely in Hogwarts." Hagrid blinked at Harry's casualness.

"Who said anythin' about 'im bein' in Hogwarts?" Harry scoffed and said,

"I did. I accidentally found him in the forbidden corridor. Very interesting, a three-headed dog in a school for children."

"Now, Harry yeh shouldn' be meddlin' in things yeh don' understand. It-"

"Oh, I understand. There is a dangerous three-headed dog guarding something important." Hagrid sighed and exclaimed,  
"Harry, please. This is serious. You forget abou' Fluffy, an' what it's guardin', that's between Professor Dumbledore an' Nicholas Flamel." Hagrid's agitated state calmed as he realized what he had said.

"Oh, dear. I shouldn't've said tha'…" Harry did his best to not react to the name, but mentally filed it away as important information.

"Hagrid, I assure you, now that I know the great Dumbledore is involved, I know we're safe! I'll just forget the whole thing." Overly praising the Headmaster was a bitter pill to swallow, but he knew it would do the trick for the headmaster-loving giant. However, Hagrid looked at Harry skeptically.  
"Really? Yeh won' go runnin' after nothin'?" Harry schooled his features into one of neutrality, though he was ecstatic to have a break in the case.

"Of course not! I'm a Ravenclaw. We don't go running into anything, we just investigate, and that's all I was doing." Playing on Hagrid's stereotypical view of the houses was a little low, he knew, but it worked its magic as Hagrid said,

"Oh, righ'. Yeh look so much like yer father, I forgot yer not a Gryffindor." Hagrid relaxed a bit and they exchanged their farewells.

As Harry journeyed back to the castle, Harry mulled over the new information. Nicholas Flamel sounded vaguely familiar, so he was sure he'd be able to find him in one of his books. Hagrid's general demeanor was what disturbed Harry the most. Harry knew Hagrid was nothing but a gentle giant, but he could be dangerous in other ways. Hagrid certainly did not know how to keep a secret, that was for sure. Harry worried that anyone else who knew where to find Hagrid and what to ask would get just as much information that Harry had. He had to wonder why on earth Dumbledore had trusted Hagrid in the first place with knowledge of what was being guarded. Unless… No, Harry couldn't let his imagination get away from him (at least in this instance). After all, why would Dumbledore use a blabbering half-giant as one of his defenses for something he was protecting unless he had some idea of what he was doing? Perhaps, Dumbledore did know what he was doing.

Filing this away as to contemplate later, Harry entered the castle just as the sun was setting. Just as he was entering the front door, he heard a drawling voice behind him say,

"Potter. What do you think you are doing… outside after dark? You need to be inside after the sun sets. I should start taking points away here and now-"

"Professor Snape, I am indeed surprised you are out here at this hour. Enjoying the sunset?" Harry turned around to see the potionsmaster's sneering face.  
"No. Twenty points from-"

"For what?" Snape was clearly getting frustrated with Harry interrupting him, so he snapped,

"For being out of the school past sunset."  
"Professor, I'm sorry but you've been misinformed, the rules clearly state that students need to be in _bed_ by ten o'clock. The rules say nothing about being outside the school or anywhere else until that time. I understand the confusion. I was just visiting with a friend after the Quidditch game. Is there a rule against that?" Harry managed to sound as innocent as possible, but Harry could almost see the steam coming out of Snape's ears.  
"Five points from Ravenclaw," Harry raised a single eyebrow until Snape continued, "For disrespecting a teacher." Harry internally sighed. He knew he couldn't get away with anything when it came to Snape.

"I understand, sir. I meant no disrespect. I best be off so I can make it to my bed by curfew."

Harry swept away from the professor before he could say another word. Harry knew that Snape hated him (for some weird reason), but he was surprised the professor had tried to take points away because of a made-up rule. Harry figured Snape wouldn't try that again, now that he knew how well Harry knew the school rules. Of course Harry had memorized the rules. How else would he know how to break them in the most effective way?

Idly, Harry wondered what Hermione and Draco were up to. The Quidditch game had finished a little while ago, so they should be in the common room. He couldn't wait to share with them what he had found out about the three-headed dog. Although, they might not be as thrilled as he since they had just gotten done watching a 'fascinating' Quidditch match.

-EOEOEOEO-

Draco had been to quite a few Quidditch games, but this one had been one of the worst. Ravenclaw had eventually won, but only because their new seeker accidentally flew into the snitch. Draco knew their team would get better with time since most of the team was young and inexperienced. However, he had still managed to get some enjoyment because of his conversations with Hermione. After their agreement, they had shared bits of information about their respective world's between timeouts. Draco already had a hard time believing muggles were capable of half of what Hermione had claimed. He'd have to see it for himself. Unfortunately, the game was over so he and Hermione had to go back to the Ravenclaw common room to study for their Charms exam next week.

They had been sitting in the crowded Ravenclaw stand, so they had to push their way through a few people to get moving toward the stairs. Hermione was slightly ahead of him, so he didn't see until too late that someone had roughly pushed into her instead of getting out of the way. Draco bent down to help Hermione up as their fellow students filed past them, leaving a group of girls snickering.

The one in the middle turned to a larger girl and sneered,

"Careful, Felicity. Wouldn't want to get mud on your robes." Hermione looked confused about what the girl was insinuating, but Draco had a sinking feeling about what was going on. Hermione huffed and exclaimed,

"Excuse me, but my robes are just as clean as yours." The girls giggled loudly at that. The leading girl recovered first and exclaimed,

"Stupid little girl, it has nothing to do with your robes. You could clean yourself all you want, but you'll still be a filthy mudblood!" Even though that had to be the thousandth time Draco had heard that word, he heard the hate and prejudice within it for the first time. Hermione looked thoroughly confused, but understood that she was being mocked for some reason. She was about to say something in response, when Draco stopped her.

"For a bunch of Ravenclaws, you all sure are ignorant," this stopped the girl's giggles, "How hypocritical of you all to point out Hermione's muggle heritage. In fact," he then pointed to the short blonde girl, "you, Mandy Brocklehurst, are a half-blood. Your witch mother isn't even from a prestigious family. Oh, how the Montmorency's have fallen into squalor in recent years, bedding a 'filthy' muggle." The blonde girl lowered her head in shame. Draco then turned to the larger girl and scoffed,

"And you, Felicity Randle should be the last to talk. Your family hardly counts as 'pureblood' seeing as only a few generations ago, your two muggleborn grandparents were wasting time, shacking up, to eventually make you!" Felicity turned bright red at this, but before she could do anything, Draco continued.

"At least I'm not surprised by your actions, Latisha Randle. Your 'pureblood' family has enough idiotic squibs breeding with muggles to populate a small country," Draco ignored Latisha's sputtering response when the ring leader of the group spoke up.

"Stay out of this, Deatheater spawn!" Draco blinked away the juvenile insult and said,

"Oh, Marietta Edgecomb, I expected more from you. What would your mother, Undersecretary to the Head of International Magical Cooperation say about your rude and downright reckless actions today? I doubt she would be pleased." Marietta bowed her head, clearly Draco had hit a weak spot. Finally, Draco turned to address all the girls.

"I understand all of you are just jealous and feel threatened that a muggleborn has the potential to outshine all of you in class. However, this is not the way to deal with it. Do what Ravenclaws do. Don't push others down to get better, just get better." Most of the girls looked genuinely ashamed, but Draco noticed a few hidden sneers.

"If any of you try to bully Hermione again… I will make sure our head of house knows about it so he can deal with you sorry excuse for Ravenclaws." Everyone knew how protective of his 'Claws Professor Flitwick was. The girls took the threat for what it was, and decided to back off.

The Ravenclaw girls left down the stairs, their tails between their legs. Draco was about to go down the stairs too, when Hermione stopped him.

"Draco, how'd you do that? I mean, how'd you know all those things about those girls?" Draco shrugged,

"Well, I was taught every pureblood family tree and a few histories of important witch or wizards. All I had to do was throw every nasty detail about their families back at them to make them back down." Hermione smiled brightly at him, but her grin fell as she asked her next question.

"What's a mudblood?" Sighing, Draco said,

"It's an awfully nasty term for witches or wizards who come from a muggle family. It literally means your blood, or heritage, is dirt." Hermione tried to shrug, but Draco saw the glistening of unshed tears in her eyes.

"Well… at least that's not the meanest thing I've been called." Draco pursed his lips. If that was true, then Hermione had been ridiculed far worse than Draco had imagined. Not knowing what else to say, Draco nodded and said,

"Well we should get back to the common roo-" He was cutoff by a suffocating hug. Well… he had not been expecting that. Hermione then pulled away and said,

"Thanks for defending me."

"Errr… Any time." Hermione laughed at Draco's lack of usual composure.

Some time later, they reentered the common room and took their places to begin studying. Draco hoped Harry's business would be over soon so they could get a move on. Almost on cue, Harry strode up to their table and said,

"I hope you two had an uneventful afternoon, because we have a lot to get started on! I just found out the strangest thing…" Harry trailed off when he saw Draco's smirk and Hermione's barely concealed mirth.

"What? Did I miss something?"

-EOEOEOEO-

The group of Ravenclaw outcasts had been researching Nicholas Flamel for the rest of November and even into December. Between research and classes, Christmas break was fast approaching. Nothing of great importance had happened to the trio, and Harry was secretly hoping he could have a normal Christmas with his father and sister. Unfortunately, the peace they had been experiencing was broken two days before Christmas break when Neville Longbottom raced over to the Ravenclaw table. Neville was trying to recover from running, so his message came out in spurts.

"Harry… you need to… go to the Headmaster's office… right now," Neville took a deep breath and was finally able to say, "Something's happened. Something about your dad?"

Harry's mind immediately went in a million different directions. Was his dad alright? Had Dumbledore found out about his family? Was this some sort of trick? Was Luna alright? Harry needed answers. He rose from his seat to get them. He could only hope everything was okay, but with his luck, he doubted it.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

AN: Hello everyone! It's Christmas time (in the story)! I've divided Christmas into two chapters so you all get an extra dose of Luna goodness. I'll post the next chapter soon! Enjoy!

Harry barely noticed that Hermione and Draco were following him on his way to the Headmaster's office. It wasn't until Neville used the password given to him to let Harry into the office that Harry turned to them.

"I'm sorry guys. I have to deal with this by myself." Hermione stopped him by putting her hand on his shoulder.

"Harry, no you don't have to." He shook his head and said,

"Yes, I do. Sorry, I'll explain when I get back." Neither Hermione or Draco seemed all that happy with his answer, but they did accept it. However, as Harry ascended the spiral staircase, he heard Draco whisper to Hermione,

" _How can this be about his dad when his family is dead?_ " Harry sighed. He hadn't planned on really telling anyone about his upbringing because of the invasion of privacy. However, having friends changed things.

With as much haste as he could muster, Harry climbed the stairs and didn't even knock before entering the Headmaster's office. Unlike last time, the Headmaster was not alone. Harry's head of house Professor Flitwick was there as well. They both stopped their conversation when Harry entered.

"Harry, my boy. Please take a seat." Harry was so nervous about what might be wrong that he slumped right into one of the chairs.

Professor Dumbledore's usual twinkle was absent, which greatly concerned Harry. Professor Flitwick left the room shortly after, causing Harry's tension to compound. Dumbledore cleared his throat and began,

"I'm sorry to tell you this, my boy, but your father has been taken to St. Mungo's Hospital for treatment for multiple maladies. There was a minor cooking accident and he burned himself."

Harry let out a small sigh of relief. His father occasionally forgot which side of the tea kettle had the handle and he'd grab the wrong side and get burned. Harry noticed that Dumbledore still looked tense, so Harry braced for more news.

"Unfortunately, they are keeping him there for treatment other than the burns. While getting treatment, it was found that Xenophilius has a high degree of separation from reality. They are giving him a few weeks of time with a mind healer." Harry was starting to get upset. He had been told by others for most of his life that his family was crazy, but this was completely unnecessary. Harry silently fumed and Dumbledore continued.

"I have a preliminary report from the mind healer," he then pulled out a piece of parchment, "It says that there is a knot of trauma in his memories that caused a forced distancing from reality. They were unable to determine the knot's nature but it is fairly recent."

Harry's rage dwindled as he realized what this meant. Harry knew his father wasn't dealing with his mom's passing well, but this was serious. He cleared his throat and asked,

"And what of Luna? Is she alright?" Dumbledore looked down, as if he wasn't looking forward to this part.

"When Xenophilius burned himself on the teapot, he dropped the hot tea and spilled it on Luna," At Harry's outraged face, Dumbledore rapidly continued, "but it was just on her feet. Apparently she wasn't wearing any shoes." Harry took a deep calming breath.

"How is she?"

"She will be fine. The healers at St. Mungo's were able to stop the pain and are working on healing the burn. They're going to keep her overnight just to make sure she will be fine."

Harry visibly relaxed at that. However, once he knew his family would be okay, suspicions began creeping up. He narrowed his eyes and asked,

"How did this happen? How do you know so much about all this?" Dumbledore sat up straighter and said,

"After a long hard look into Ministry records, I found a guardianship permit filled out for you. I was so pleased to find that you had been in the care of the kind Lovegood family! I decided to make a visit to your family to see if all was well. Your lovely father invited me in for tea, but burned himself and then Luna. I felt it was my duty to make sure they were treated properly, so I ensured they were taken care of by the best healers in St. Mungo's."

Harry wasn't stupid, and he certainly didn't appreciate Dumbledore assuming he was. Harry could see what this was. The Headmaster was just happy the 'Boy-Who-Lived' hadn't been raised by a 'dark' family. He could also see the Headmaster's actions for what they were: an attempt to get on Harry's good side. While Harry had been contemplating things, Dumbledore's puff of pride deflated slightly. Trying again, the Headmaster said,

"Xenophilius will be undergoing intense therapy to help heal his mind, so he will be unable to leave the hospital for at least two weeks," Harry's suspicions rose even more, "Someone would need to care for Luna during that time. Luna told me she normally went over to the Weasley house when Xenophilius couldn't care for her. Unfortunately, the Weasley's are leaving for Christmas break to visit their son in Romania."  
Harry ran a large number of options in his head. He and Luna couldn't be alone for Christmas. They didn't have many relatives, at least no close ones or any in the country. He probably couldn't intrude on any of the neighbors and the family had few friends that were close. What could he do? Almost as though he could read his mind, Dumbledore said,

"I would be more than happy to offer Hogwart's best hospitality to your sister over the holidays. I already checked with Luna and your father and they are fine with it. Luna is quite ecstatic to see you. It really would be best if you two had each other for Christmas, don't you agree?"

The Headmaster was far craftier than Harry had anticipated. While this was generous of him, Harry suspected that this was once again a sneaky way to get Harry's approval. Dumbledore added,

"If your father is not ready by the end of break, she can stay with the Weasley's, if that would make you feel better…"

It did make Harry feel a little better, he admitted. Perhaps this wasn't a bad thing. He really had few options. Besides, Harry was even more skeptical of the Headmaster, rather than trusting, so his ploy hadn't really worked. Maybe this would even get the man off his back for a while.

Plastering on his most placating grin, Harry said,

"How very generous of you, Headmaster. I really do appreciate the gesture. When would Luna be coming?" Professor Dumbledore's twinkle in his eye was near blinding when he said,

"Right as students leave for break, I will send someone to go get her. Perhaps-"

"If I may, sir, could I possibly go as well, so I can check on my father's condition?" Dumbledore's twinkle darkened. Harry mused the Headmaster wasn't very keen on the idea of letting Harry from under his thumb. However, Harry knew Dumbledore couldn't say no when Harry's favor was so fickle right now. With a small grin, Dumbledore said,

"Of course, dear boy. You must be worried sick about your father's condition. I will see to it that it is arranged."  
Harry rightly assumed that the meeting was then concluded, so he got up to leave.  
"Well, professor, thank you so much for everything. I will await your message about when to leave to go get Luna." The Headmaster nodded, but Harry was already on his way out. He didn't want to spend more time than necessary around Dumbledore. His bright robes may be tasteful, but Harry didn't like the way Dumbledore's blue eyes seemed to see into his very soul. It was downright creepy.

Harry had expected Draco and Hermione to go back to the Ravenclaw common room, but he found them still waiting at the entrance to the Headmaster's office. Harry had been with Professor Dumbledore for some time, so the fact that they had waited made Harry's heart warm slightly. Draco straightened from his leaning position and Hermione immediately jumped up when they saw Harry.

"So, what was that all about?" Draco drawled in an attempt to be casual, but the gleam in his eyes gave away his concern. Hermione didn't even try to be calm as she exclaimed,

"Yes, what was that about? What happened? What did this have to do with your dad? You have quite a bit of explaining to do-" Harry interrupted her before she could continue.

"I know I do, but will you at least let me explain in private?" Hermione's eyebrows scrunched together as she scanned the empty corridor. Before she could protest, Draco said,

"Sure thing, Harry. We wouldn't want any eavesdroppers hearing anything that's not their business." He then subtly gestured towards the many portraits lining the hall. Hermione got the message, so they went back to the Ravenclaw common room.

In one of their favorite secluded study areas, Harry explained everything he knew or was told about how he came to be with the Lovegoods and his life with them from there. Hermione and Draco were politely waiting to ask their questions until the end, but they couldn't help their shocked reactions at times. When Harry finished, Hermione's questions began. Harry understood her need to understand everything, but he had begun to loose his patience after the twenty-third question. Finally, she ran out of questions and Draco broke his silence with a quiet chuckle. Harry raised an inquiring eyebrow and Draco explained,

"Everything just makes sense now. Sometimes you say the strangest things, it makes sense that you were raised a Lovegood." Harry began to glare intensely at Draco, until he explained,

"Sorry, I meant that as a good thing. While not a particularly old family, the Lovegoods have always been known for their candor. You just always speak your mind, is all." Draco didn't feel like mentioning he had always learned that the Lovegoods were barmy fools as well. However, Harry may be a bit on the odd side, but he was brilliant so maybe the Lovegoods weren't so bad after all. Harry gave Draco a small smile of understanding, as if he knew what Draco was thinking.

The trio would have continued discussing things long into the night, but the next day was when everyone was to leave for Christmas break. They had been talking for a long time, so they hastened to bed. As Harry was nodding off, he hoped he had made the right choice confiding in his new friends. Fortunately, the warmth in his heart reassured him that it was.

-EOEOEOEO-

The next day had proved to be a hectic one. Harry had said his goodbyes to his friends and had tried to escape the excited crowd of children rushing to get out of school. The only quiet place he could find was in the Great Hall, away from all last minute packers and the gaggling groups of students. Harry used his book, _Most Notable Witches and Wizards of the Last Century_ , as a makeshift shield against all the chaos. He was interrupted from his research on Nicholas Flamel by a Scottish brogue.

"Mr. Potter, Professor Dumbledore has informed me of your situation and I am here to escort you. If you would follow me." Normally, he would not appreciate being interrupted, but this was an exception. Harry made a show of slamming his book shut, but he was secretly pleased it was Professor McGonagall who would be taking him to St. Mungo's. The professor's no-nonsense attitude could not belie the obvious affection she had for the students of Hogwarts.

A short Floo trip later found Harry in the reception office of St. Mungo's hospital. He was so excited to see his family after so long that he paid little attention to the healer's questions and comments. It was infinitely frustrated to see the healer's act so flustered around him because of his status. Finally, a pair of healers guided Harry to see his father first while they helped Luna get ready to leave.

When Harry entered his father's room, he was surprised to see an empty patient bed. He turned around to find his father until Harry saw him sitting on the floor in a corner. Xenophilius' eyes stared into the distance hazily. Used to the vacant expression, Harry approached his father and sat next to him.

"Dad…? It's me." The only response Harry got was a sharp intake of breath followed by,

"I hurt her. It's my fault."

"No, dad, Luna's fine. She's-" Xenophilius continued as if he hadn't heard Harry.

"I shouldn't have left her alone. I knew she was doing something dangerous. She's gone. It's my fault. It's my fault. It's my fault." He continued repeating himself for a few more moments before falling silent. It made no difference to Harry since the words echoed in his head as well. Harry shook himself out of it and put his hand on his father's shoulder.

"Dad. It's not your fault. It was an accident." Harry said those words almost as a reassurance more for himself than his father. At Harry's words, Xenophilius blinked and seemed to see his son for the first time.

"Harry? What're you doing here?" With a sad smile, Harry said,

"I'm just checking up on you, dad. I heard you had a tea related accident." Xenophilius winced.

"I didn't mean to… to hurt Luna."

"I know you didn't. She's fine. I just want you to focus on feeling better. Can you do that for me?" Xenophilius nodded after a few moments. Not being able to resist, Harry gave his dad a hug.

"I love you, dad."

"I love you, too… son." Harry pulled away and saw as the lucidity fell from his father's eyes. His dad probably barely noticed as Harry left.

When he entered the hall, Harry cleared his suddenly scratchy throat and was approached by one of the female healers. Harry asked,

"Why was he all… out of it?" Harry had seen some of his father's less than attentive episodes, but that was nothing like he had just seen.

"I'm sorry you had to see him like that, Mr. Potter. Our mind healers are in the process of leading him through the knot of trauma in his mind. Some of the temporary side effects of the treatment is reliving some parts of the event in order for the mind to come to terms with it. Normally, we wouldn't let family members see the patient until the treatment is complete because of these side effects." Harry picked up on one word.

"Normally? So you've seen this before?" The healer pursed her lips, but said,

"Usually, shielding oneself from traumatic memories is rare. We had quite a few similar cases to Mr. Lovegood's during the last war. There were enough traumatic incidences to go around." Harry curtly nodded his head in understanding. At least the healers knew what they were doing.

"Would you like to see Miss Lovegood now?" Harry immediately felt himself cheer up at the thought of seeing his sister.  
"Yes, please."

Upon reaching Luna's room, Harry burst in as fast as he could. He didn't even acknowledge anyone else in the room before he gave his sister the largest hug he could. With Luna so close, the smell of Dirigible Plums, paint, and flowers filled Harry's senses. He hadn't realized how much he had missed his sister until that moment. Harry's revelry was interrupted by Luna's melodious giggles.

"Harry, it's good to see you too, but I need to breath at some point." Even though she was kidding, Harry released her immediately. It was then that Harry noticed Professor McGonagall holding Luna's things with a small smile on her face. Harry turned back to Luna and exclaimed,

"It's absolutely wonderful to see you again, my little Luna!" His sister's smile was blinding and she said,

"Professor McGonagall told me I'm going to Hogwarts with you! Is it true that the staircases move?! Are there really unicorns in the woods? Did you see any proof of the Nargle infestation?"

"Yes. Yes. And not yet." Luna's little squeal of delight warmed Harry's heart.

"You must tell me everything you've been up to while I was gone." Luna wasted no time elaborating to the fullest about what she had been doing.

"Well, I painted a new sign for the Dirigible Plums I helped Ginny catch some gnomes in the garden, we're getting along better now, I started a collection of different colored flowers did you know there is a purple dandelion not too far from our house I learned how to make cucumber sandwiches-"

Not wanting to interrupt Luna, Harry and Professor McGonagall let her talk all the way through the hospital, to the reception floo entrance, and even into Professor McGonagall's office.

"-then I met Professor Dumbledore he has very nice lavender robes and then he was kind enough to take me and dad to the hospital and now I'm here with you!" When Luna finished her story, she noticed where she was. In awe, she looked up to see multiple staircases moving to new positions at once. Harry grinned at Luna's adorable expression and announced,

"Luna, welcome to Hogwarts!"

-EOEOEOEO-

The next few days of Christmas break were some of the best for Luna. She and Harry spent every moment they could manage together. Being apart for so long while Harry had been at school had been hard for both of them, so they had quite a bit of catching up to do. They spent most of their time exploring the castle or the grounds, most meals bantering back and forth over what kind of pudding was the best, and every evening they would sneak up to the astronomy tower and watch the stars swirl around the night sky.

The morning of Christmas Eve, Luna bounced out of bed to find Harry already out of the dorms for breakfast. Harry normally was the early riser out of the two of them. She shrugged and went down to see him in the Great Hall. However, he wasn't there either. She wasn't worried for too long because Harry strode into the hall shortly. Surprisingly, he had a cloth sack strung over his back. Luna giggled as she figured he looked rather like the muggle Santa Claus. He flopped the bag onto the table and exclaimed,  
"Happy Christmas Eve, Luna!" Harry then gestured at the bag, "I have our attraction suits. Will you be ready for an adventure soon?" Luna's already large eyes widened.

"You mean…?"

"Oh, yes, little Luna! Just because we're not home for Christmas doesn't mean we aren't going to do every family tradition we can!" Luna caused such a ruckus with her resulting excitement that some of the less than morning people glared at her.

"We just have to ask permission first." Luna got up from her seat and linked arms with Harry.

"Then what are we waiting for?!" Harry laughed and they headed over to the Staff Table. Since he was the Ravenclaw Head of House, Harry approached Professor Flitwick and asked,

"Excuse me, professor, but can we ask you something?" Flitwick smiled genially and nodded his head.

"Every year on Christmas Eve, my family would go searching for a particular Christmas decoration. We were wondering if you could give us permission to explore the grounds and perhaps a small part of the forest to find them." Professor Flitwick had an idea of what they were talking about but still asked with a grin,  
"And just what is it, Mr. Potter, that you seek?" Before Harry could answer, Luna exclaimed,

"Why fairies, of course! What Christmas would be complete without fairy lights?" Flitwick chuckled and said,  
"I couldn't agree more, Miss Lovegood. In fact, it is normally my job to decorate the Hogwarts tree with fairies. How about I accompany you two in your search?" Harry was rather fond of his Head of House so he readily agreed.

A few hours later found the Harry and Luna standing outside the Hogwarts' gate waiting while Professor Flitwick obtained permission from the Headmaster. When Flitwick arrived, he was startled by what the pair were wearing.

They were garbed in what appeared to be a velvety black body suit. However, the warm material was only a backdrop for something more confusing: mirrors. The suits were covered with an array of large mirrors on the chest and legs, and hundreds of smaller mirrors between them. They looked like white shiny lizards with the snow reflecting off their suits. Flitwick could not help the laughter that escaped him upon seeing their outlandish outfits. They both smiled at the professor almost as though they had been expecting that reaction.

"Why hello, Professor Flitwick! I see you like our attraction armor. The armor plays to the fairies' vanity and the reflective surfaces attract the fairies. Now all we need to do is find a woodland or a glade and we will find the fairies in no time!"

Despite the strange way of going about it, Flitwick couldn't help but admire the logic behind attracting the fairies. Usually, one would have to either purchase a fairy (which was often very expensive) or wander around a magical forest until they found a population of fairies.

"Very well reasoned, Mr. Potter and Miss Lovegood. Two points to Ravenclaw for each of you." Luna beamed, but said,

"Professor, that is kind of you, but I'm not a Ravenclaw." Flitwick smiled warmly.

"Indeed not. However, I suspect you may be someday," Harry grinned with pride at his sister and Flitwick continued, "We best be off if we are to catch enough fairies."

The trek through the snow was made easier with Professor Flitwick's warming charms. Unfortunately, the sun was starting to set a couple hours later. Flitwick was about to suggest they head back to the castle, when they wandered upon a clearing in the forest. They wandered to the center of the clearing and stopped.

Moments later, a little glowing creature emerged from one of the bushes and approached the trio. The fairy cautiously flew to Luna, but immediately was drawn to its own reflection. The fairy emitted a high-pitched buzzing sound that sounded similar to a contented sigh. This seemed to be a signal to the other fairies as large groups of them poured out of every knot in a tree, every patch of bushes, and every cluster of rocks in the surrounding forest. Soon enough, there were at least fifty fairies admiring themselves in Harry and Luna's mirrored suits. Harry slowly pulled out his wand and said,

"Well, I guess I'll do the honors," almost in a whisper, he swirled his wand in a series of circles and said, " _Lignum Speculo_." The mirrors on their suits suddenly levitated off of them and started spiraling in the middle of the clearing. The fairies desperately followed the mirrors, causing a beautiful glowing dance with a winter sunset as the backdrop. Harry raised his wand, and the mirrors followed the motion until they arranged themselves into what resembled a Christmas tree.

Flitwick couldn't help the awe-inspired gasp that escaped him at such a display. He had never seen anything so magnificent. Harry and Luna stood side by side staring at the tree of lights. Harry reached over and pulled Luna into a side hug.

"Merry Christmas, Luna."

"Merry Christmas, Harry." The trio stood in the same position watching the slowly spiraling light display for a while until Harry pulled out his wand again.  
" _Finite._ " Once the spell was completed, the mirrors drifted back onto their suits with the fairies following. Harry then turned to Flitwick and said,

"Thank you very much for letting us continue the Lovegood tradition of the fairy light tree. You can use the fairies now as decoration for the Hogwarts' tree if you like." Flitwick nodded his head and immobilized a few fairies for easier transportation.

On their way back, Flitwick asked,

"Mr. Potter, I have never heard of the spell you used. What was it?" Harry's grin was slightly strained, but he answered,  
"My mother invented it. She always had a way with spells… until she didn't." Not wanting to pry any further into a clearly sensitive subject, Flitwick accepted the answer. However, he couldn't help thinking that there was more to Harry than what met the eye. In class, he was the studious, if not a bit odd, student. To the wizarding world, he was the hero who defeated You-Know-Who. Here, with his sister, he showed his peculiarity and ingenuity more readily. Flitwick couldn't help but muse that there was indeed something extraordinary about Mr. Potter. He subtly glanced over at the pair as they genially discussed Blibbering Humdingers.

Something exceptionally extraordinary indeed.

AN: More Christmas and Luna fun next chapter! Hope you enjoyed!


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

AN: Thanks for all the nice reviews! Enjoy the last Christmas chapter!

Christmas morning dawned bright and cold over Hogwarts. The people inside the castle, however, paid the frigid weather no mind as they all pleasantly woke to open their presents and share in the merriment.

On the other hand, Harry got a rude awakening as his sister Luna jumped onto the bed and slammed into him screaming,

"Wake up, Harry! It's Christmas!" When Harry recovered from all the yelling, he happily joined in with Luna's excitement. Even though this Christmas wouldn't be with the whole family, Harry still felt like it would be fine as long as he had Luna with him.

They exchanged gifts pleasantly around the fire in the Ravenclaw common room. There were the expected presents such as one of Mrs. Weasley's sweaters, a book from Hermione, and an expensive looking silver tipped quill from Draco. However, he was surprised when he opened his present from Luna and saw a small red hued eraser of some sort.

"Erm… thanks, Luna!" She giggled at his obvious confusion and explained,

"It's a Revealer, dummy!" she laughed at Harry good-naturedly and said in a childish whisper, "It's so when I send you super secret messages in our letters you can see them."

A look of realization passed Harry's face. Sometimes Harry forgot how clever Luna was for her age. She already understood that as the 'Boy-Who-Lived' all his communications were likely being monitored in some way. Harry had known this and hadn't really let it bother him, since he wasn't doing anything wrong and he rarely received letters from anyone anyways. Now he knew that Luna understood far more than he had thought. Seeing the thoughtful gift for what it was, a form of privacy, he gave Luna a big hug and said,

"Thank you. I love it. Why don't you open the gift from me?" Luna eagerly agreed and unwrapped Harry's present to find something that made her let out that adorable squeal of joy that he loved.

"I've wanted one of these for the longest time! How ever did you know?" Harry chuckled and responded,

"Well, to put it simply, I didn't know you wanted one. I just saw it in the back of Scribbulus Writing Implements and knew you'd love it."

Indeed, he had been waiting to give this to Luna for quite some time. With her love of painting, Harry had expected Luna to love the set of paintbrushes charmed to infinitely paint a preset color. The set had been pricey, but it was worth it to see his sister's beaming smile.

Harry was about to reach for his last present when he was interrupted by a tapping on the nearby window. Surprised, Harry got up and opened the window. Immediately, a large bird flew in and perched on one of the common room chairs. At first Harry thought it was an owl, but upon further inspection, the bird's larger sharply curved beak revealed it was likely a falcon of some sort. The falcon was beautiful with its white and black dappled feathers and deep gold eyes. The bird was vaguely familiar to Harry, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Harry was so caught up in the sight of the falcon, it took Luna reaching for the letter attached to its leg for him to notice anything else at all. After a quick glance, Luna held it out to Harry,

"It's for you and I think I know who it's from." Harry immediately knew who she was talking about as he saw his father's distinctive loopy handwriting. However, something was different. His father's normally shaky letters were formed with a steady hand. Harry took this to be a good sign and opened the letter.

 _My dearest Harry,_

 _Happy Christmas! I am so sorry I can't be there with you and Luna. I hope you two are having a pleasant Christmas. I promise next year we'll have an extra special Christmas, just the three of us. I miss both of you terribly, but I know I have to do this. To get better. To be a better father. Being here has helped me to realize how much I have let you and Luna down. I have spent this whole time caught up in my own grief, but you and Luna were grieving too. I am so sorry._

 _Being here has not completely erased the pain of losing_ _Panda_ _your mother, but it has helped me to stop dwelling on it. It is almost as though a heavy load has been lifted from my shoulders. I can see her life more clearly now that I don't just see her death. I had forgotten how she would make the best pot of tea, how she would make even lifeless plants grow, and how she would read to you before bed. The healers say it is normal to reminisce on positive memories during the treatment, but they feel more like a gift than a treatment…_

 _And now I'm rambling. Any who, your mother and I always planned to get you your first owl when you started Hogwarts. This Gyrfalcon felt more appropriate as I began ruminating on old memories. I don't know if you remember, after all you were so very young, but this type of falcon was… special to your mother._

 _Let me know what you name her when you send your next letter!_

 _Your Father Always,_

 _Xenophilius Lovegood_

 _P.S. Almost forgot. My gift and letter to Luna should be attached as well._

Harry held the letter in slightly trembling hands. He barely noticed when Luna took the letter from him to read too. His thoughts were swirling around, but were interrupted as Luna asked,

"Wow, a Gyrfalcon! She's so pretty too. What're you going to name her?"

A memory rose the forefront of Harry's mind, unbidden. A memory he had thought long forgotten…

" _Mama, I finished it!"_

" _Oh really, young man? Your first book! How'd you like it?"_

" _It was fine… I guess. For a book about make-believe tales, it wasn't too bad."_

" _They're not made up stories, Harry. They're lessons about life! Take, for instance, the story of The Fountain of Fair Fortune. All three witches were searching for a magical cure for their unhappiness, but they realized the fountain didn't really do anything at all and they could cure themselves through kindness, bravery, and ingenuity… You know which witch was my favorite?"_

" _Huh uh."_

" _The one whose heart was broken by a man she had loved dearly. When she let go of her memories of him, she realized how cruel he really was and that she was better off without him. She found true love and happiness by letting go."_

" _Oh, okay, that makes sense. What does love like that feel like, Mama?"_

" _Hmmm. Well, it feels something like this:_ Expecto Patronum."

" _Wow… pretty birdie… Hehe that tickles, what is that?"_

" _Just like the witch from the story, I found happiness by letting go of what I don't need and holding onto what I love. That is what a Patronus is made from. Happy memories."_

" _Huh… What was the witch's name again, Mama?"_

"Well? What're you gonna name her?"

With the silvery Gyrfalcon still glimmering in his mind's eye he whispered,

"Amata." Luna raised a single blonde eyebrow and asked,

"Like in _The Tales of Beetle the Bard_?" Harry cleared his throat and said,

"Exactly." Luna shrugged and played with the enchanted puzzle box she had gotten from her dad. They both sat in silence for a moment until Luna exclaimed,

"Oh you have one more present, Harry!" Mentally shaking himself, Harry sat up straighter.

"So I do." The weirdly shaped package had a letter tied to it, which Harry opened up first. In long elegant letters, it read:

 _Your father left this in my possession before he died. It is time it was returned to you.  
Use it well.  
A Very Merry Christmas to you. _

Harry immediately noticed that it wasn't signed by anyone. Harry's reasoning skills went into overdrive and based on the information given to him he could draw a few conclusions. One, this was a prank or something more sinister. Two, this was sent by a less than trustful person who knew his biological parents and couldn't sign it for reasons unknown. Or three, it was the always less than overt Professor Dumbledore rewarding Harry for going along with his somewhat ominous plan for Harry to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas. Harry was leaning toward the latter of the three since this was most certainly the Headmaster's style of being aloofly involved in the going-ons at Hogwarts. However, just to be safe, he cast a quick _Specialis Revelio_ to see if the package was hexed or jinxed at all. When nothing came of it, Harry figured it was mostly safe and opened the present.

A silvery cloak poured out of the paper packaging like water. Immediately sensing this cloak was strange, Harry picked it up carefully. It felt cool to the touch and barely felt like it was made out of fabric at all. Hoping the long cloak could make him look taller, he flung it over his shoulders and struck a pose for Luna's amusement.

"Well, sis, how do I look?" Maintaining a straight face, Luna said,

"Well, brother, you've never looked better." Puffed with exaggerated pride, Harry strode over to the mirror to admire himself. Not expecting what he saw, he turned back to Luna and said with a smirk,

"Ha. Ha. You're very funny, Luna." With an innocent face, she said,

"Why whatever do you mean, floating head?" Harry gave her an exaggerated eye roll and took the cloak off for her to examine.

"This is strange. Normally invisibility cloaks are made with Demiguise hair, but it doesn't look like this is made of hair at all! Either this is a new kind of invisibility cloak or…" Luna gasped loudly and said,

"Someone has harnessed the power of Nargles to disappear!" Harry considered that possibility before saying,

"But then the cloak is made of Nargle skin and everyone knows Nargles don't have long enough fur to make a cloak out of." Luna nodded at Harry's logic, but asked,

"Then what is it made of?"

"I don't know… but not knowing is half the fun in life!" Luna giggled in agreement and asked,

"So what're you going to do with it?" Harry picked up the mysterious note and said,

"I guess I'm going to use it well."

-EOEOEOEO-

Harry eventually concluded that using the Invisibility Cloak to help answer his many questions could be considered using it well. The next night, Harry snuck out of the Ravenclaw Common Room to answer his questions about the enigma that was Professor Quirrell.

Unfortunately, the defense professor rarely left his office, which Harry couldn't enter without raising suspicions. Harry caught a break when Quirrell left his office well after curfew.

Harry had to sprint as quietly as he could as he followed Quirrell speedily stomping through the halls. The whole time he was walking, Harry heard him muttering to himself and pausing as if waiting for an answer. Harry couldn't really make out anything that was said over the sound of Quirrell's swishing cloak other than the occasional word or two, such as:

"Dog… master… professors… trap." None of this made much sense to Harry, and he was beginning to think the stuttering professor was just lonely and liked to talk to himself. He was then surprised when Quirrell came to an abrupt stop and turned his head almost as though he was listening to something. This time, Harry heard a whisper that chilled him to the bone.

" _Someone is there."_ Harry couldn't be sure if Quirrell himself had just whispered that, but he knew it didn't sound like the stuttering professor. The normally clumsy man fluidly whipped out his wand and intoned,

" _Homenum Revelio._ " A bright wave-like spell emanated from his wand. Luckily, Harry had been following from far enough away that he quickly whipped around to another corridor. He had no idea what was going on, but he knew he had to get out of there. As fast as he could manage, he reached the nearest classroom and cast a locking spell on the door behind him. Hoping it would be enough, Harry took a deep breath and considered what had just happened.

Well on the bright side, he now knew something was definitely wrong with Professor Quirrell. On the not so bright side, he now had more questions than ever before. Who was Quirrell talking to? What was with the rapid change in behavior and personality? However, the word master that he had overheard stuck with Harry. Was it Quirrell's master or was he the master of someone else? Out of context it made little sense. Harry needed more information. However, it was clearly unsafe to follow the professor around again. Perhaps he should work out his other questions first and observer Quirrell from afar for now. Where was the need to rush head-first into anything? He was, after all, a Ravenclaw not a Gryffindor.

After ensuring that Quirrell wasn't coming in, Harry turned to his surroundings. He finally saw he was in one of the many unused classrooms in the large castle. However, it wasn't the overturned desks or dusty chairs that caught his eye. In stark contrast to the dirty classroom, a large silver mirror stood in the center. Before getting any closer, Harry noticed there was writing on the frame that said:

 _Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi._

The series of nonsense letters seemed almost like a riddle. Harry liked riddles. Were the words in a different language? No that didn't make sense. Was it a message? More likely. Harry was starting to get excited. His father loved to put riddles or trivia questions in _the Quibbler_ that could only be answered by looking at the words differently, or upside down, or in a mirr-

Harry's eyebrows shot up. Of course.

After a few moments of translation and consideration, Harry realized the message was:

 _I show not your face but your hearts desire._

Well that didn't help much. So the mirror was enchanted? What good was a mirror that showed what you wanted? Needing to see the effects of the mirror for himself, he took a few steps forward, but immediately regretted it.

Instead of seeing himself like in a normal mirror, Harry saw a small group of people behind him. All thoughts of curiosity fled him as he focused on one person behind him in particular. Inquisitive blue eyes met shocked green eyes as Harry felt something inside him shatter. She was just as beautiful as the last time he saw her. Her long pale hair pulled into the braid she put it in to do research. Her slender hands with bits of paint or dirt on them from her last project.

Harry was almost afraid to blink. To breath. To move from his frozen spot lest the spell be broken. Finally, he breathed out,

"Mom?" With a gasp, Harry saw the smile he hadn't seen in over a year. Unable to stop himself, Harry slid to the floor in front of the mirror. The ghostly reflection of his mother followed him and put her hand on his shoulder. Even though he couldn't feel her hand, an aching feeling of warmth emanated from the spot. Harry stared, unblinking, at the reflection until the words he had been longing to say poured from him.

"Mom. I'm sorry. It's my fault you're dead… I should have loved you like you loved me…. I didn't deserve your love... I didn't deserve to be your son." A foreign feeling of worry broke through his sadness and Harry looked up to see his mother shaking her head at him. It was almost as though she could hear him, because she then placed her hand on her heart and then moved it over to his own. The rush of acceptance and love made Harry's eyes water for the first time since she had died. Before he knew it, he was weeping long overdue tears.

All of the repressed grief and memories flooded over him. Instead of pushing them away like always, he saw them through fond eyes. He may have lost his mom too early, but as he thought about it, Luna was right. She would always be in his heart. It was almost as though he could feel her with him, helping him come to terms with everything that had happened.

After what felt like an eternity, Harry looked up into the loving eyes of his mother and also saw there were other people in the mirror too. He saw his smiling sister and father. Next to his family was a couple he had only seen in photographs. An older copy of Harry grinned as he held a redheaded woman's hand. The woman had eyes exactly like Harry's. An aching longing in the pit of Harry's stomach made him put his hand against the mirror. This is what he wanted. His family. All his family. All of them together and happy.

Harry stared at them all ravenously, until a distant sound broke the trance. Immediately, Harry realized he had been selfish. Luna would want to see their mom too. Putting the Invisibility Cloak back on, he rushed to the Ravenclaw Common Room.

One grumpy ten-year-old and a hasty explanation later, Harry and Luna were back in front of the mirror. Luna idly rubbed her sleepy eyes and said,

"You got me up so fast it's a good thing I accidentally wore my shoes to bed. Maybe I should start wearing them to bed every time in case I sleep walk…" Luna trailed off as she considered the idea.

"That might actually be a good idea. Anyways, Luna you have to see this mirror! Mom is in it, come and see." He pulled her closer to the mirror and she gazed at her reflection. Harry tried to avoid looking at the mirror and stared at Luna to catch her reaction. Her face remained unchanged as Luna took a few steps forward until she was inches away from the mirror. Harry waited with anticipation until Luna broke the silence saying,

"Have I always had a mole there?" Not knowing what to say in response to that, Harry stuttered out,

"Wh-what?"

"There's a little mole on my neck. You think it's always been there?"

"I dunno, Luna! Don't you see mom?" She shrugged and said,

"Not really. I just see you and me." Harry scoffed in disbelief.

"Luna, this mirror is supposed to show you the desires of your heart! Don't you wanna see mom?" With a wistful smile, Luna turned to Harry.

"Of course I do and I will. I'll see her again some day, so what is the use letting the sadness get the best of me?" Harry adopted a thoughtful look as Luna continued,

"If this mirror really does show the desires of your heart then it makes sense. I have everything I need. I have you, I have dad, and I'll see mom someday. What more could I want?"

Harry glanced at the mirror and saw his mom's serene smile one last time before he turned to Luna and gave her a hug.

"You're really are amazing; you know that right?" Luna let out a little sigh and said,

"I know."

With that, they linked arms and left without looking back.

Unbeknownst to the pair, light blue eyes glimmered with eagerness. Deciding against revealing himself, he had instead watched everything unfold. Even though Harry's initial reaction to the mirror had been surprising to say the least, he had learned some valuable pieces of information. It turned out the the unsolvable riddle that was Mr. Potter had some secrets. Perhaps Harry would eventually follow the plan he had laid out after all. Indeed, Harry could even have a unique power he knew not.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

AN: Hello everyone! Sorry for any confusion, but I rearranged some of the chapters so they would flow better and be a bit longer. If you've read everything up until now, then you should be fine. Just wanted to give you a heads up! Enjoy!

Winter break ended much sooner than Harry would have liked. Harry would miss his Luna, but he knew the end of the school year would end before he knew it. He also took comfort knowing his sister would be safe with the Weasleys until their father was completely well again.

Since the incident with the mirror, Harry had felt more lighthearted than he had for a long time. He felt more open-minded than ever and felt that his mother would be proud. For instance, Harry was more inclined to notice things he had not before. He noticed that there was indeed an infestation of Nargles in the Ravenclaw third year girls' dormitory, that Professor McGonagall had gotten a new perfume for Christmas, and that his friend Draco seemed much more cheerful after winter break. When asked about it, Draco explained that he had, to a certain extent, reconciled with his father. He had helped his father see that at least he wasn't a 'disgraceful' Hufflepuff and that he could still honor the Malfoy name. Things were still tense but it was a start. Only time would tell.

However, time seemed to stubbornly inch along in the weeks that followed winter break. Harry devoted much of his time to researching the elusive Nicholas Flamel and keeping a close eye on Professor Quirrell. The only thing Harry had found out about Quirrell was that he had traveled abroad for a year before becoming Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts. While somewhat suspicious, it didn't reveal anything solid about him. Also, nothing noteworthy had revealed itself about Flamel in the month of searching since winter break had ended. Even with Hermione and Draco helping, they seemed to be getting nowhere. Without knowing anything about Nicholas Flamel other than his name, they had no idea where exactly to look. They used much of their free time in the library scouring every book they thought could be remotely relevant.

It wasn't until the middle of February that something finally broke up the monotony; permanently. Harry wandered into the library for their group's midday study/research session. The energy of the room immediately felt different than normal. There seemed to be a smaller than usual population of Wrackspurts wandering the library. Harry had a feeling someone must have had a moment of clarity to have made most of the confounding creatures go away.

Eager to see if his feeling was correct, he sat next to Draco at one of the tables and asked,

"Where's Hermione?" Looking bored, Draco shrugged and drawled,

"No idea. We were researching Flamel when I remembered something. Since I was old enough to read, I was given lessons on various subjects that included magical history. I vaguely remembered hearing about Flamel, but all I could recall about him was that he was potion inventor or something. As soon as I mentioned it to Hermione, she darted away without a word explanation-wise. I lost track of her somewhere, so I figured she'd come back eventually. I've been waiting here for ages." Harry listened with wide eyes. When Draco noticed, he asked,

"What is it now?" Harry wasn't allowed to respond since Hermione bustled over with a large book in hand. Before she slammed the book down on the table, the boys to casually moved other books out of the way.

"I've found him! I can't believe I didn't think to look here. I was considering checking it out for some light reading, but figured the book wasn't published recent enough to have Flamel in it." The boys nodded in understanding. While large in size, the book wasn't the thickest book they had seen Hermione read for pleasure.

"But then when Draco mentioned Flamel was an inventor, I knew just where to look." Harry and Draco patiently waited while Hermione flipped the book open to find what she was looking for. Finally, she stopped and all three of them crowded around the book to read what Hermione had found. After an intense few moments of reading, they all exchanged a look of gravity. Draco leaned back in astonishment and breathed out,

"Merlin's beard. The Sorcerer's stone."

The trio each had different reactions to the news. Draco continued leaning back looking dumbstruck. Hermione feverishly reread the page and made a few notes on a piece of parchment.

Harry, on the other hand, was lost in thought. His mind was a whirlwind of answers and questions. If Fluffy was guarding the Sorcerer's Stone, then it must need protecting from someone. Despite being a school full of children, it was a logical place to hide something with all of the wards that protected the castle. Who would want the Stone? That was an illogical question. Anyone who desired unlimited gold and immortality would want it. It would be logical to assume that the teachers knew the stone was there since even Hagrid knew. In fact, it would be logical to assume that there were other protections in place other than Fluffy. If the teachers knew, then there was real danger because Harry knew one professor who was acting strangely, made Harry's scar hurt, and had a suspicious past. Coming to a logical conclusion, Harry whispered,

"We have to go after the Stone. As soon as possible."

With her head still tilted toward the book, Hermione looked at him as if he had grown an extra head. Draco scoffed and exclaimed

"Are you joking? I thought you were a Ravenclaw not an idiotic Gryffindor! We can't just rush into this without knowing anything-"

"I'm no Gryffindor. And why wait? We know everything we could need to know to get to the Stone. We know how to get past the Cerberus, we know what the Stone is, and we know one not-so-dead Dark Lord who would love to get his grubby hands on it." Harry's friends leaned back in resignation. They knew once Harry had an idea there was no stopping him. They also understood his logic, but Hermione still asked,

"Can we at least talk about the details more before running after it?" Harry nodded his head but then noticed the large number of students leaving the library.

"Alright. We can talk about it after Defense Against the Dark Arts." All three of them then collected their things and hurried so they wouldn't be late for class.

Defense Against the Dark Arts seemed to inch by as Harry plotted how to retrieve the Stone. He was so caught up in planning that he barely noticed when Professor Quirrell asked Hermione to stay after class for a moment. It could just be a harmless inquiry, but just in case Harry and Draco stayed just outside class to hear what was going on. Other than an awkward pause between questions, it seemed to be a harmless conversation about how Hermione's paper on Grindylows was going. Harry suspicions were placated for the time being, but he still had a funny feeling about the whole thing.

Luckily they were done for the day after Defense Class, so they spent the rest of their evening reading practical charms, defensive spells, and anything else that might be relatively useful for getting to the Stone. However, the trio felt fairly confident in their combined knowledge. Hopefully they'd be prepared enough, and as Hermione pointed out, they didn't have to go all the way. If they encountered something they couldn't handle, they'd just try again later. Draco still had his doubts about the whole thing but he agreed that they couldn't let You-Know-Who get the Stone.

So it was a reluctant Draco that trudged along under the Invisibility Cloak with Harry and Hermione. It was just after curfew so Hermione kept muttering to herself and starting when she heard any noise. It wasn't until Draco harshly shushed her that she calmed down. Finally, they made it to the forbidden third-floor corridor. Before they entered, Harry turned to his friends and remarked,

"Remember, as long as we beat You-Know-Who to the Stone, we can turn back and try again later. We don't have to do this tonight." Hermione and Draco exchanged looks and he sighed,

"We're already here, we might as well."

They had to prepare a bit before facing Fluffy. Harry had brought a few things with him that might be helpful in their little venture, so he pulled out a whittled flute from his pack. Who knew Hagrid's Christmas present would be useful? Since it was his gift, Harry started playing before Hermione unlocked the door. Because it was his first time seeing the Cerberus, Draco had to stifle a gasp. He still whispered,

"It's a lot bigger than I thought it would be…" Hermione snickered quietly in response. As silently as they could, Draco and Hermione worked together to open the trapdoor. Peering down through the door, Hermione whisperedermHermmmmmDraco hissed,

"I can't see a thing! What's down there?" Draco just rolled his eyes and hissed,

" _Lumos Maxima."_ Immediately, a bright light emanated from the tip of his wand. In response to what he saw, Draco smartly muttered,

"Huh?" While still playing the flute, Harry nudged Hermione. He then gestured to her to switch so she could play. Once they had traded positions, Harry got a good look at what was down there.

"Is that a Flitterbloom?" Draco scoffed.

"Could you be serious just this once, Harry?"

"I _am_ being serious! Flitterblooms are harmless magical plants that have swaying tentacles. We used to plant Flitterblooms all the time in our garden. They help ward off Flobberworms," Harry stated. Draco sighed and replied,

"While that is all very interesting, why would someone put a harmless weed in to protect the Sorcerer's Stone?" Harry shrugged.

"No idea… but with all your light shining on it, the Flitterbloom doesn't seem to be moving, which is odd." Hermione made a particularly loud squeak with her flute that drew with the boys' attention. Draco warily watched as the three headed dog stirred slightly and hissed,

"What is it now?" With wide eyes, Hermione gestured toward the trap door. Draco grumbled and took the flute from her so she could talk.

"That is no Flitterbloom, Harry. I remember reading about it for Herbology. It's a Devil's Snare! Its long tentacles can suffocate its victims."

"Oh… that makes more sense than the Flitterbloom. How do we get past it?" Harry asked.

"Well, sunlight immobilizes it and fire makes it shrink away. So I guess we should use fire."

"But if we use fire, then we won't have anything to fall on."

"Oh, right. I guess if we all cast _Lumos_ while we fall then it shouldn't hurt us." Not exactly reassured, Draco abruptly stopped playing and exclaimed,

"Shouldn't?!" Unfortunately, that was too long of a break in the music and the three headed dog stirred enough to wake up. Quickly casting the spell _Lumos_ , Harry grabbed his friends by the wrist and hollered,

"No time for that! Jump!" before Draco could protest, Harry pulled them all down into the trap door. Luckily, the light spells did the trick and the Devil's Snare didn't touch them. When the trio scrambled out of the Devil's Snare, Draco scowled and smacked Harry's shoulder.

"Next time you decide to do something irrationally stupid, a little more warning would be helpful." Harry grinned sheepishly and muttered an apology.

They continued through a doorway that was their only way forward. Harry mused to himself that they'd have to get creative if they wanted to get back up through the trap door. The corridor continued to slope down further under the school. Harry was beginning to wonder how much farther they'd have to go when he heard a fluttering sound. Apparently it was loud enough that his friends heard it too since Hermione whispered,

"Does that sound like birds to anyone else?" Draco nodded his head and pursed his lips in apprehension of what was to come.

At the end of the corridor, they opened a heavy door and were stunned by what they encountered. A large chamber with high ceilings rose above them. But it wasn't the grandeur of the room that held their attention, but what filled the room. Hundreds of glittering bird-like creatures lazily flew about the chamber. With sweet melancholy, Harry marveled,

"Luna would love to see this. She loves sparkly things." Hermione gave him a soft smile in response. They all stared at the flying creatures, trying to collect data, when Draco exclaimed,

"Those aren't birds at all! They're keys charmed to fly." Harry and Hermione turned an incredulous gaze on Draco as he said,

"What? I'm really good at spotting things, I guess." After a few more seconds of observation, Harry pointed out something.

"Even though they're pretty, I doubt the keys are for decoration. It looks like one should fit into the lock for the door over there." Harry pointed over to the door across the room, but didn't dare walk across in case the keys were more sinister than they looked. Hermione asked,

"But which one unlocks the door… It'd probably look like the handle, but how could we possibly see which key its supposed to be?" They thought on the predicament for a moment until Draco glanced around the room and spotted something useful.

"Well, we could use those." Hermione's eyes widened at the sight of the three broomsticks.

"Oh no, I am _not_ getting on one of those things!" Recalling how horribly the Ravenclaw flying lessons had gone for her a few months ago, Harry wasn't surprised. Draco sighed and said,

"Alright, you don't have to help. Not to brag," his smirk suggested otherwise, "but I'm a pretty good flier. But I'll still need some help. Harry, wanna catch a key?" Harry shrugged.

"Why not. We can catch ones that look like it might fit the lock and Hermione can test each one out."

It was immediately clear that the keys didn't stand a chance. Even though Harry was never really interested in flying in his childhood, he quickly discovered he had a natural talent for it. Key after key was caught and thrown down to Hermione. Sometimes Harry and Draco worked together, other times they went after keys on their own. It was undeniable how good a team they made. After close to a dozen keys, Harry finally spotted a large silver key that was slightly rusty. Pointing, Harry shouted,

"I think I've found it! Over there!" Draco quickly zoomed after the right key and edged it toward Harry's lower position until the key had no where to escape. Harry deftly plucked the key from the air and threw it to Hermione. Harry was proved correct in his assumption as Hermione cheered,

"It worked!" The boys reluctantly dismounted their brooms. Harry was surprised by how enjoyable something so academically insignificant could be. Draco patted Harry on the shoulder and joked,

"For someone who doesn't like Quidditch, you're pretty remarkable on a broom. Why didn't you say anything?" Harry shrugged.  
"I guess I never expected to be good at it." With that said, Harry reverently set the broom down and followed Hermione into the next chamber. The darkness of the adjacent chamber was quickly solved when a large number of torches blazed to life when they entered. Hermione scrunched her eyebrows and asked,

"What is that?" Draco chuckled and exclaimed,

"That has to be the largest wizard chess board I have ever seen." Almost as if in answer to Draco's guess, the stone statue of the black queen on their side nodded her head slightly. Draco cleared his throat and said,

"Well, sorry to say, but I'm not really the best at chess. I used to play with my father, but he'd always beat me. And I bet you're no good at it either since you're a Muggleborn, Hermione." In response, Hermione ranted,

"There you go again with wizard superiority! How would you know if I'm good at this special chess game?"

"It's not chess it's _wizard chess_ , Hermione!"

"Why do you always have to correct me?! Do you always have to be right-"

"I could ask you the same thing!"

Harry tuned out their bickering as he observed the stone chess pieces. It appeared that they were stone statues transfigured to be animated. He vaguely recalled learning something about that. He then got the feeling to look in his journal. Finally remembering where to look, Harry quickly pulled out one of his journals and flipped it to the right page.

 _February 14, 1988_

 _It was Luna's Birthday Party yesterday. Watched father animate some of the garden statues. New theory: add other Latin incantations to end of transfiguration to change how statue is animated. Research for theory: asked mother questions about innovative transfiguration and animation. Referred to select sections of_ A Guide to Advanced Transfiguration. _Result of research: spell invention, especially with transfiguration, is dangerous. However, adding parts of known spells to transfiguration incantations can change the effects of the spell. Sustained animation is keyed into the caster's magical signature, so modifying an already cast transfiguration requires a long incantation filled with known transfiguration modifications. Experiment: tried to end animation of garden statues. Unsuccessful. Suggestion for further experimentation: obtain better understanding of caster's magical signature and modify incantation accordingly. Revised experiment: watched father cast a spell to get an understanding of magical signature and added_ Ultima _after_ Finite _to increase finality. Result: Successful. No further experimentation necessary._

Harry smiled in fondness at the journal entry. In an attempt to emulate his mother as a child, he would write down all of his experiments in his journal as exactly as possible to sound grown up. However, the doodles of Mimbulus Mimbletonia and Blibbering Humdingers in the margins ruined the serious effect. The journal entry was very useful and Harry began formulating the incantation he would need. Harry's mumbles were barely audible over Draco and Hermione's arguing.

"Professor McGonagall probably did the animation… _Piertotum Locomotor_ most likely… Familiar with her signature from class… May need a stronger incantation to cancel it… hmm… I got it!" Harry stepped forward, taking care not to step on the chessboard and activate the game. Harry's motion got Hermione's attention and she asked,

"Harry, what are you doing?"

"Shhh!" Harry snapped, "I'm taking care of it." Taking a deep breath, Harry raised his wand and chanted,

" _Piertotum Locomotor Felis Magister Finite Ultima."_ Immediately, all of the standing statue's heads bowed, the pawn's swords drooped in their hands and the horses went from a reared position to on all fours. Draco and Hermione gaped at Harry for a moment. Harry let out a sigh and exclaimed,

"Well, that was fun! Should we move on?" Harry then strode across the chessboard with Hermione and Draco stumbling to catch up. Hermione breathlessly asked,

"How on earth did you do that?"

"It was quite simple really. I took the spell to animate statues and tried to end the spell with some finality added to it. Oh, I also had to account for Professor McGonagall's magical signature so I included the words for cat and teacher. I thought those words summed up our professor quite nicely," Harry explained quickly. In one of his less than articulate moments, Draco stammered,

"W-wait, what?" Harry shook his head and replied,

"Well, I figured each of the professors had a hand in the protections so far. Hagrid had Fluffy, Professor Sprout had the Devil's Snare, and Professor Flitwick charmed the keys. It only made sense this was a transfiguration based protection." Nodding her understanding, Hermione asked,

"But then, which professor is next?" Harry shrugged as he yanked the next door open. Taking a long look and then slamming the door shut, he took a deep breath and said,

"I guess it's Professor Quirrell." A deep growl interrupted any other questions Hermione had. Draco backed away from the door in understanding.

"Oh no, not again." Before they could back up any more, the door was blown off it's hinges and hit some of the chess pieces in splinters. Through the explosion of dust, a huge figure could barely be seen emerging from the door. The last thought that ran through Harry's mind before panic seized it was that this one was much bigger than the last one.

A giant mountain troll lumbered through the doorway. Since the opening was smaller than it was, chunks of the wall came with it as it thundered into the chess room. Dragging a massive club behind it, the troll sniffed around and tried to find its prey with its beady eyes.

As quickly as they could, the trio scrambled out of the way of the gigantic beast. Draco was the slowest to move out of the way, so the troll spotted him first and lumbered after him. Not knowing what else to do, Draco cast,

" _Locomotor Mortis"_ Unfortunately, the Leg-Locker Curse did little good in this situation, but it did cause the troll to stumble a bit. This was enough of a distraction to allow Draco to get out of the troll's view. Frustrated at losing sight of its prey, the huge troll roared and turned toward the chess board. Something new had caught its attention. New prey.

Hermione stood boldly before the troll at the top of the stairs leading to the chess board. Panicking, Draco yelled,

"Get out of there, Hermione!" As calmly as she could, Hermione called out,

"Animate the statues again, Harry."

"What good will that do?" he asked. Hermione shouted,

"Just do it!" Harry trusted his friend so he raised his wand and exclaimed,

" _Piertotum Locomotor!"_ Nothing obvious happened, so the troll charged at Hermione. Just as it was about to barrel into her, she dove out of the way. The troll crashed forward and smashed a tower piece. It turned around in confusion and was about to go after them again when something cut its legs. Grunting stupidly, the troll looked down to see one of the pawns had tried to stop it from moving forward. Not understanding what had happened, the troll barreled forward. However, this time it ran into the white queen chess piece. She mercilessly swung at the troll and even its spell resistant skin couldn't save it from the devastating blow. It was over before the troll even knew it had begun.

Once they had confirmed the troll wasn't moving, Harry and Draco rushed over to Hermione. In her dive, she had slid all the way over to one of the walls and was unconscious. She also likely had broken something judging by the awkward angle of her leg. Draco inspected Hermione for other injuries while Harry searched for a pulse. When he found one, he pulled Draco's shoulder and explained,

"She's just knocked out. She'll be fine. We need to keep going."

"But-"

"We'll come back for her. We've come this far; we need to finish this." Though hesitant, Draco nodded and followed him into the next chamber.

They walked through the chamber that had housed the troll and opened the next door with some trepidation. They both calmed slightly when they saw a series of potion bottles innocently sitting in the middle of the room. Draco sighed in relief and exclaimed,

"This must be Professor Snape's. We're both his best students. This shouldn't be too bad." He immediately regretted that choice of words as strange looking flames circled the room once they had approached the potions.

"Of course. Nothing could be that easy," Draco sighed. Harry smirked in agreement and took a look at the potions. A piece of paper rested near the bottles and they both silently read it for a moment.

"It's a riddle," Harry stated, "You should try to solve it. You know Snape the best, after all." Draco swallowed in nervousness and re-read the riddle. After a few minutes, Draco snatched up one of the smaller potions and backed away from Harry.

"Draco, what're you doing?" Harry asked in confusion.

"Somebody has to take care of Hermione. I can't just leave her behind. Besides, you should be the one to get the Stone. You are the Boy-Who-Lived after all." Harry was surprised to note the lack of sarcasm in Draco's voice. Harry nodded in response.

"I understand. You should get going if you want to get her to the Hospital Wing in good time." Draco grinned a bit and turned away. Harry stopped him before he could leave.

"Wait, which one lets me go through?" he asked.

"I'm fairly certain you know the answer to that," Draco answered with a smirk.

It was true. Harry had had a good idea which potion was the right one, but when Draco had selected the one to let him go back, he knew for sure.

"Oh, and Harry?" he paused, waiting for Harry to turn back, "Be careful. You're much to Gryffindor-ish for your own good." Now it was Harry's chance to smirk.

"Why Draco, I don't seek out danger, it just seems to find me." And with that, Harry took a quick swig of the potion and passed through the flames before him.

He finally entered the last chamber and saw the last thing he had expected to see. The mirror that shows your heart's desire. Harry resolutely avoided looking into the mirror, not wanting to get distracted. However, nothing else seemed to be in the room with him. Harry was about to bring himself to examine the mirror when the flames behind him parted. Harry turned to see if perhaps Draco had changed his mind. Unfortunately, it was not Draco before him.

"Ah, Professor Quirrell I wasn't expecting you so soon." Harry drew his wand discretely behind him as he said,

"Or should I address you properly, Voldemort."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

AN: So sorry for the gap in posting! I just got burned out for a while posting a chapter a week and then school happened and yeah… sorry again! This story is far from abandoned! I'm actually going to be posting longer chapters but it might be longer time periods between postings. Hope you enjoy the ending of Book 1!

The great and powerful Dark Lord Voldemort was impetuously frustrated. If he wasn't currently on the back of that idiot Quirrell's head, he would _Crucio_ at least a dozen people just to make himself feel better. Voldemort always had a plan. He wasn't the Dark Lord for nothing. When one plan didn't work, he had a back-up plan and a back-up plan for that. Before getting to Hogwarts, everything had gone smoothly. His plan of taking advantage of the fool Quirrell so he could steal the stone right from under the daft Headmaster's nose had worked. Failing to steal the stone while it was at Gringotts was a regrettable change of plans, a failure Quirrell paid dearly for, but not something he had not foreseen as a possibility. It wasn't until he had gotten to Hogwarts that his plans had started to unravel. First of all, the Potter boy, the so-called Boy-Who-Lived, malleable hero of the Light, had been sorted into Ravenclaw. The diversion in his plans was almost worth it to think about how Dumbledore's little pawn had turned out different than the senile old man had planned.

However, a Ravenclaw Potter was just the beginning of his problems. His plan to steal the stone on Halloween had failed. Voldemort's attempts to get a read on the boy had failed because of Potter's surprising suspiciousness of him. The Ravenclaw in Potter had made him more perceptive than the Dark Lord had anticipated.

While his other plans had failed, the Potter boy seemed to be a perpetual thorn in his side. Voldemort had come to Hogwarts expecting the little Potter brat to be a naïve, impulsive, predictable Gryffindor. Instead, he got an observant, inquisitive, and ultimately unpredictable Ravenclaw. After all, one moment he was an isolated student with his own self-interests at heart, and the next he was running off to save the young Malfoy heir. Harry Potter was an unknown, unforeseeable variable in Voldemort's plans. He had no idea what the boy would do next, and the Dark Lord hated not knowing something.

It was for this reason that Voldemort had taken to doing random legilimency checks on the Potter boy's friends. It was his only way to know if the boy was up to something. For the past few months, nothing eventful had come up. However, one mid-February Defense Against the Dark Arts class revealed that the group of Ravenclaw children knew far too much. They were even going to try and stop him from getting the stone. While it was laughable that a trio of first years had even a sliver of a chance against the Dark Lord, he still knew this would be the perfect opportunity to use them as guinea pigs. If they made it to the stone, he would simply overpower them and take the stone for himself.

With this new foolproof plan in mind, Voldemort used Quirrell to follow the Ravenclaws through the trapdoor. Finally, a plan was working perfectly. It wasn't until he passed through the flames right behind the Potter boy that he knew his plan had gone sideways once more.

The riddle Snape had used had not allowed Quirrell to pass through the flames without drinking the potion. The Potter boy had seen the flames part and said,

"Ah, Professor Quirrell I wasn't expecting you so soon."

Voldemort hurt Quirrell through their link as a punishment for his lax performance. The Dark Lord had never let his plans get so out of hand and he blamed this idiotic, pathetic excuse for a professor.

"Or should I address you properly, Voldemort."

The Dark Lord Voldemort was no longer frustrated. He was furious. Harry Potter was more than just a nuisance; he was becoming too much of a threat for his own good. Quickly calming himself, Voldemort was reassured with the thought that the Potter boy was going to die, painfully, for thwarting his plans once again. However, Voldemort accounted for the boy's unpredictability and had already begun a back-up plan. After all, he wasn't an all-powerful Dark Lord for nothing.

-EOEOEOEO-

Harry waited with baited breath as Quirrell approached him, the flames dancing behind him ominously. A brief flicker of pain crossed the Defense professor's face, but was quickly masked with intense loathing.

"Foolish boy. You think you are quite clever don't you?" Even though this was clearly a rhetorical question, Harry responded,

"I know I am, after all I figured out your little secret didn't I?" Ignoring him, Quirrell continued with a sneer.

"If you had any idea who you were dealing with, you would not be down here in the first place. While I am weak, my master is-"

"Oh, so I'm speaking to Quirrell right now? Sorry just not sure who held the reigns most of the time. He must be a poor Dark Lord indeed to have someone like you speak for him." Quirrell was shocked into silence at Harry's blunt words. Seeing as the professor's mouth did not move, Harry was surprised when a wispy sinister laugh echoed throughout the chamber.

"The boy is right… Let me speak to him… face-to-face."

"Master, you are not strong enough!"

"I have strength enough… for this…"

Harry watched in fascination as Quirrell unwrapped his turban to reveal a strange looking face with red eyes. Despite the serious situation, Harry could not help but snicker and say,

"I couldn't quite figure out how you did it. Now it makes sense. After all, no one with any amount of fashion sense would voluntarily wear a turban?" The back of Quirrell's head, now known as Voldemort only scowled in response.

"Harry Potter… You amaze me with your cleverness… and your complete lack of understanding of how dangerous a situation you are in… I must say… I have been looking forward to this… after all, unicorn blood can sustain me only for so long… once you get me the stone I will no longer be in this weak… spirit form." Harry blinked.

"Why on earth would I get the stone for you?" Harry hoped to distract Voldemort for a little longer so he could look into the mirror. He had somewhat of an advantage, being closer to the mirror. He already had an idea of what to do in order to get the stone, he only hoped he could get to it before Voldemort did.

"Do you not see what I have become… mere shadow and vapor…" Voldemort continued to drone on in the way that villains tend to do.

Harry didn't listen much since he knew all he needed from the Dark Lord. He turned his head slightly and out of the corner of his eye, he saw his reflection in the mirror. Focusing on his desire to find the stone before Voldemort, he saw his mirror double wink at him and place the stone into his pocket. Harry glanced back at Voldemort and caught the last bit of his villainous speech.

"…I will be able to create a body of my own… Now… why don't you figure out the riddle." Harry almost sighed in relief. Voldemort hadn't seen him.

"What makes you think I know the answer?" Voldemort laughed in his high whispering voice.

"You are the cleverest wizard in your year… surely you can decipher such a simple task. In fact… you might as well give me the stone… seeing as you have already gotten it out of the mirror." Alright so he had seen him. Thinking quickly, Harry pointed his wand behind his back and whispered,

" _Geminio_ ," but said louder for Voldemort to hear, "I don't know what you are talking about. Why don't you figure it out yourself, no need to get your turban in a twist over a little mirror." Knowing he was stalling, Voldemort snarled,

"Stupid boy! Why waste your own life on something that means nothing to you… I thought you were a Ravenclaw, unlike your foolish parents. They died for no reason… I killed your father first… but your mother needn't have died… do not make the same mistake they did… give me the stone." If Voldemort had expected a brash outburst of anger from Harry, he was mistaken. Harry's eyes turned stony even as he laughed humorlessly.

"Don't think I don't see what you are trying to do. Playing on my sentiment to get a foolish reaction that you can take advantage of. Oh, how the mighty Dark Lord has miscalculated. In all your infinite power, you failed to see one thing. You killed Lily and James Potter, but you did not kill my parents. Xenophilius Lovegood is my father. My mother, Pandora died a year ago trying to save me, just as my birth mother did. If you had only seen what was right in front of you, you would have known how I was raised to believe in Nargles, in the power of knowledge, and in the value of people's lives. You have hurt a great many people, Voldemort. So, I may be a Ravenclaw, but I will never give up what my mother taught me and I will never help you. Catch!"

At the end of his speech, Harry threw a red stone at Voldemort, and Quirrell turned to catch it. However, he was not fast enough and the stone fell to the floor. Crying out in anguish, Quirrell bent down to pick up the stone but was shocked when the object burned at the touch and multiplied into five other copies. Quirrell took a step back, nudging another stone causing it to multiply as well. An intense spasm of fear crossed Quirrell's face. He took another step back as the stones continued to increase in number. However, a loud scream interrupted his retreat.

"NO! You fool, he has the stone! SEIZE THE BOY!"

Immediately, Quirrell surged forward, reaching for Harry. Harry scrambled back before the professor could reach him. In his panic, Harry glanced over to the Mirror of Erised and saw his mother reaching out to his reflected self. Her mouth was open, as if she was screaming. While he was distracted, Quirrell was able to reach Harry.

The defense professor tried to grab Harry's arm, in a rough attempt to get the stone. However, as he touched Harry's skin he reeled back as if burned. Quirrell was able to recover from the burning touch, but was wary of approaching again. However, Harry did not recover as quickly. His scar seared in pain at the contact and he fell on his back in an attempt to escape the pain. It was such an excruciating pain that he heard a voice in his head screaming, or maybe it was him, he could not tell. The pain receded slightly when Harry heard,

"KILL HIM, YOU FOOL!"

Harry barely registered through the haze of hurt that his life was now in grave danger. As if he was just now realizing he was a wizard, Quirrell drew his wand. Harry's perception of time seemed to slow as he watched, his most powerful weapon (his brain) incapacitated, helpless to stop what he knew was coming. The screaming in his head was back, but it seemed to be forming words now.

"NOOOOOOOOOO! NOOOT MY SOOOOOON!"

As Quirrell pointed his wand at Harry, he heard a loud crack that came from the center of the room. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry registered the strange fact that the mirror was broken in a spider-web pattern. Quirrell did not notice this fact, or else he would have hesitated in uttering the words,

" _Avada Ked-_ "

A pinpoint of light surged from Harry, moving so fast it made several sounds like a gunshot. Harry had barely enough time to muse that whatever that had moved so fast it broke the sound barrier before an enormous explosion engulfed Quirrell.

His scar still enflamed with pain, Harry idly watched his Defense Against the Dark Arts professor devolve into a crispy mess. With the threat out of the way, he immediately felt exhausted. Harry continued to hear voices as darkness crept into his vision. The words jumbled together until just before he lost consciousness, Harry heard an achingly familiar voice ask,  
" _Harry?"_

-EOEOEOEO-

 _The first thing that Harry became aware of was that he was surrounded by a thick gray fog. Nothing else was around him and the smoky surroundings seemed to extend into infinity. Despite the dream-like surroundings, it felt too real to be anything but some form of reality. Instead of being alarmed by the strange environment, he decided to just go along with it. Curious, Harry began exploring. He wasn't really aware of the passage of time, but what seemed to be a little while later, Harry wandered upon a series of floating, glowing orbs._

 _A whimsical smile graced his face as he followed the orb's movements with his eyes. The urge to touch the glowing sphere was overwhelming, so ignoring reason for the moment, Harry reached out and brushed the tips of his fingers against the beautiful object. Immediately the orb expanded rapidly until it grew to encompass Harry and all of the smog that had been there before._

 _Suddenly, Harry found himself in an all too familiar garden. The dirigible plum tree swayed in a breeze Harry could not feel. The grapefruit sized pods on the gnarled stumps of the Snargaluff plant appeared close to extracting, so it had to be near spring time where ever (or whenever Harry mused) he was. Everything looked like the home Harry missed so very much, right down to the mistletoe and the Gurdyroots. However, wisps of fog curled around the garden and everything was tinged in a gray-ish hue. Something else was off, but Harry couldn't quite put his finger on it._

 _What it was soon became apparent as a little black-haired boy raced past Harry, not even sparing him a glance. Following a hunch, Harry trailed behind the child until he stopped before a woman trimming the leaves of a wormwood plant further into the large garden._

 _When the woman looked up, Harry gasped in shock at seeing his mother alive and younger than he could remember. She gave the little boy a large smile and wiped the dirt from her hands on her apron. Out of curiosity, Harry walked around to the boy's side and saw what he must have looked like when he was four. From there, Harry quickly reasoned that it only logically made sense that he was in a memory. Conflicting emotions arose at the realization. Thoughts of the unfairness of seeing his mother once again when she was alive and happy warred with thoughts of gratefulness that he was able to see her once more. Finally, he settled on the conclusion that he was watching this memory for a reason, so he had better pay attention to it._

 _Harry then noticed that his younger self was sniffling. His mother must have noticed it too, since she immediately got up and picked up the young Harry. Concern in her eyes, Pandora asked,_

" _Oh my darling, what's wrong?" Still wiping his nose, little Harry's answer was muffled._

" _I jus… want'd to be like you… Mama… want'd to pick the perty flowers… but they hurt mama!" Harry finished with a sob. Older Harry watched with nostalgia as his beloved mother comforted him. He could now remember when this happened. Harry had wandered too far into the garden and had tried to pick a stinging nettle for his mother. He smiled fondly as the memory continued. His mother looked over little Harry's hands and, seeing they were only an irritated shade of pink, she smiled and said,_

" _Dear, you'll be fine. It will sting for a little while, but I have something that will help when we get back to the house. We just have to leave the garden first." Pandora made to set young Harry down, but he clung even tighter to his mother's neck. Letting out a breathy laugh, she asked,_

" _Do you not want to go back?" Harry quickly shook his head. "And why is that?"_

 _Little Harry pressed his face into his mother's shirt and mumbled,_

" _Don' want to get hurted again." At that Pandora's face grew serious. She slowly set Harry down and stayed bent on her knees so she was at eye level with him._

" _Darling, you know how much I love you?" Young Harry nodded his head in response. "You know I would never let you get hurt?" he nodded again. "Then just remember when things get scary or hard or even a bit strange, just remember that I will always protect you."_

 _Older Harry was still standing behind his younger self watching the treasured scene play out. However, his revelry was broken when Pandora went from looking straight at Memory Harry to just past his shoulder. She continued talking, but her eyes locked with Older Harry's and, despite knowing this was a memory, he felt she was speaking to him._

" _Are you listening, my little one? I am always going to be there for you… no matter what." Harry took a shocked step back as his mother rose from her crouched position and still maintained eye contact. This should not be possible._

" _I asked you a question, my dearest Harry. Aren't you going to answer? You always were so fond of answering questions." Still reeling from the strange turn of events, Harry automatically answered,_

" _I'm listening." Pandora's face went from serious to serenely happy in a split second at his answer._

" _Good. I am so glad you remembered this. It is every bit as true now as it was then."_

" _Wha- How-wait what? How are you here? You're dead!" Pandora let out a trilling laugh._

" _Well, I know that! But really what is death…?" his mother then trailed off in that whimsical manner that he so loved._

" _Death is but a journey to another place. Is it so far fetched that I journeyed here, to you?" Harry's brain was full of so many questions he did not even know where to begin. Taking advantage of his silence, she continued,_

" _Death comes for us all, but the way it comes is different for us all. Even the Dark Lord cannot escape it, despite using the darkest of blood magics to thwart it. Although, I should probably not judge his use of blood magic." Harry marveled at how nonchalantly she delivered such veiled truths. It was almost as though she was talking about the weather. He was about to ask her about what she had just said when a loud voice echoed,_

"Is he waking?"

 _Harry whirled around looking for the source of the voice, but could see no one. Pandora had evidently heard it too as she sighed._

" _It seems our time is near an end. Or is it near a beginning? It really is hard to tell with such things." Wanting to say something before he left, Harry asked,_

" _Are you real? Or are you just something my mind has conjured up?" Pandora smiled placidly and responded,_

" _I am not in your head, but your heart. I will leave you with this riddle that will hopefully help you understand: My death was not the end, but the beginning of what you see. The Shadow of my love will look after you wherever you may be."_

 _The swirling gray smoke began to overtake the scene until Harry could only see his mother's shining eyes and pale blonde hair. He was tempted to call out or reach out to stop the fog from ending his contact with his mother, but he had a strange feeling this would not be the last time they spoke. After all, she was in his heart not his head. As the smoke grew darker and darker, the echoing voices grew louder and louder._

"Professor, I don't know what to tell you. He is in perfect health."

"Then why is he still maintaining his mental shields as if he was still under attack?"

"That is what I have been trying to explain, Headmaster. He is not in a normal state of sleep. I have tried giving him dreamless sleep potions, but he still continues to be in a state of agitation while being unconscious."

"I know you are doing all you can Poppy, but his shields are up and he is clearly in a state of mental agitation."

While the voices had continued to grow in their clarity, Harry had slowly become aware that the only place he could be was in the Hospital Wing. Harry gradually recalled what had transpired through the trapdoor and his strange dream. He was grateful he could still remember the dream about his mother, but until he had the time to analyze it, Harry could only classify it as a fanciful dream.

"I am sorry, Headmaster, but we will only be able to know what is going on once Harry wakes up."

"And how long could that be?"

Harry decided now was as good a time as any as he whispered in a gravely voice,

"Could be sooner than expected." With great effort, Harry opened his heavy eyes. He immediately squinted at the white walls. Before he could take much else in, Professor Dumbledore's bright grandfatherly smile hit Harry's sensitive eyesight like a ton of bricks. He brought his hand up to rub his weakened eyes, but found that he was sore all over. Pushing past the pain, Harry struggled to sit up in his bed. He would not be looked down upon by the Headmaster. Still smiling despite Harry's obvious discomfort, Dumbledore said,

"Good afternoon, Harry." Repressing a scowl, Harry rubbed his forehead in an attempt to stave off his growing headache. It only helped marginally, but it allowed him the opportunity to look at his surroundings. The white walls and sheets coupled with the nauseating aroma of potions and bleach made Harry long for his own bed at home where dark blue and green covered every surface and the smell of parchment comforted him like an old friend.

A large pile of colorful candy stood in stark contrast to the rest of the room. These must be tokens from admirers of the 'Boy-Who-Lived'. His real friends would know he cared little for chocolate frogs. In fact, Harry then noticed a well-worn chair had been pulled up to his bedside and an old copy of _Hogwarts, A History_ set next to it. Clearly, Hermione had been reading to him while he had been asleep.

Dumbledore followed Harry's gaze and said,

"Ah yes, tokens from your friends and admirers," Harry internally scoffed at that, "What happened down in the dungeons between you and Professor Quirrell is a complete secret, so, naturally the whole school knows." Grimacing, Harry interrupted the Headmaster before he could continue.

"How long have I been in here?"

"Nearly two weeks. Your friends Mr. Draco Malfoy and Miss Granger have only left your side to attend classes. Madam Pomfrey had to all but throw them out when they insisted on sleeping here." Dumbledore chuckled and Harry couldn't help but smile. He never expected to have such loyal friends.

"My boy, there is an important issue that we must address. When we found you next to the mirror, there were hundreds of pieces of broken stone next to you. There was evidence of some sort of explosion and your magical core was depleted to the point that we believe you put yourself in a magically induced coma. I guess what I am trying to ask, my boy, is what happened?" Expecting the question, Harry sighed.

"I'm sorry sir, but when I got the stone out of the mirror, Voldemort demanded I give it to him. That was quite the clever idea only letting someone who wants the stone but not use it be able to retrieve it, by the way. Anyways, I decided to give the stone to him, but in a way he would not be able to get it," Harry replied cryptically. The Headmaster thought for a moment before chuckling.

"You charmed the stone to multiply. That was a tricky bit of spell work, Harry. You shouldn't-"

"I know, I know I shouldn't have done such a complex charm, but it worked didn't it? But you said you only found pieces of stones? I gave the original stone to Voldemort before it multiplied. Was the Sorcerer's Stone there?" Dumbledore frowned as though he had been expecting this.

"Unfortunately, the magical explosion destroyed all of the stones, including the original."

"Oh, I was just hoping to save it for Nicholas Flamel. I guess he could just make another seeing as he is the only one who knows how to. But, then again, he has lived a very long life…" The Headmaster's eyebrows rose.

"Indeed, Harry, he has lived a very long and happy life. They have enough Elixir stored to set their affairs in order and then, yes, they will die." Harry nodded sadly.

"Well, sir, there are a few things I understand and a few things I do not."

"If you have questions, I might have answers," Dumbledore chuckled.

"Well, I understand Voldemort killed my birth parents and it probably had something to do with some sort of grand destiny. I mean, why else would I be called the 'Boy-Who-Lived' as if I lived for a reason in the future. The wizarding world always did seem to place their hope in me for some odd reason, especially if Voldemort is supposedly gone. Also, if Voldemort is trying to come back he will continue trying until he succeeds. I guess I'll have to be ready for that… Anywho, what I don't understand is why Quirrell couldn't touch me or harm me."

Dumbledore blinked for a moment, trying to process all Harry had just stated.

"Your mother died to save you. If there is one thing Voldemort cannot understand, it is love. He-"

"Wait just a moment. You're saying _love_ caused a huge magical explosion that turned Voldemort into a pile of smithereens? That doesn't even make sense! My original theory makes more sense than that! When Quirrell tried to touch me, he got burned, which is consistent with the results of a protection blood-" Realizing he might have gone too far, Harry stopped.

"Harry, I can only hope you were not about to say what I think you were. Such types of magic are classified as dark." Trying to casually change the subject, Harry scoffed.

"Oh not at all, sir. I was merely speculating, but clearly I was wrong. Wrackspurts must have gotten to me…" Dumbledore did not look entirely convinced, but he moved on nonetheless.

"Indeed, Harry. Now, enough questions. You must rest. Madam Pomfrey will have my head if I exhaust one of her patients." Harry plastered on a placating smile. While he knew Dumbledore was still suspicious, he was relieved he hadn't asked anything else.

When the Headmaster had left the Hospital Wing, Harry quickly reached over and plucked his pack from the table. It had an undetectable expansion charm, but Harry had also added a small side pouch to the pack that could only be unlocked with Harry's magical signature. Worried Madame Pomfrey would be in to check up on him any minute now, Harry quickly pressed his thumb against the lock of the secret side pouch. Peering in, he was relieved to see Dumbledore had not been able to steal anything. He could only imagine how horribly their previous conversation would have gone if he had. Harry flopped back onto his bed in relief. He drifted off into a calmed sleep, reassured that he would still be making a little trip to a certain alchemist this summer.

-EOEOEOEOEO-

If Harry was annoyed by his 'fame' before, he hated it now. Just as Dumbledore had said, everyone knew how Harry had 'saved' a powerful relic from the 'crazy' Professor Quirrell. Harry had been out of the Hospital for a little over three months and people were still freaking out about it. Rumors flew, gossip spread, and Harry gained official hero status. Merlin, Harry despised it. Fortunately, no one really knew what happened, or else they would think he was a freak not a hero.

The only people who really knew what had actually happened were Harry's best friends. Hermione had more questions than Harry had answers. Draco was just glad Harry hadn't gotten himself killed ("Might as well make yourself a bloody Gryffindor, Harry!"). They both were still mad at him for taking so many risks, but luckily they couldn't do much to him while he was still recovering.

Harry was sick of recovering. He had learned from Madame Pomfrey that his magical core had been so depleted they feared he would never get any magic back at all. She insisted that any magic he could manage would be a victory in itself. That, however, did not make Harry feel any better when he couldn't even levitate a stupid cup more than a few centimeters. It was a frustratingly long process, and three months later, he was still only half-way back to normal.

It was, however, a pleasant surprise that when he got frustrated he could almost hear his mother cheering him on. At times, he actually could hear her. He would hear a word or two when he was all alone in the Hospital Wing or feel a general sense of encouragement when he felt discouraged. For some time, Harry feared he was going mad. But then he would remember his father telling him sanity was just controlled madness. However, Harry wasn't so sure he should be comforted by the words of a man who just got out of St. Mungo's after a psychotic breakdown.

Harry couldn't help but feel that this all came from the strange dream he had had about his mother. For months, he had mulled over the riddles and the vague references to strange topics. He was itching to dive into the Restricted Section and puzzle out the meaning of his mother's every little word. However, he knew the Restricted Section was just that- restricted. He also mused that he would probably get more answers rifling through his mother's old books. Harry concluded with resignation that he would have to wait until the end of the year before he could do anything else about it.

However, the end of the school year was rapidly approaching. The Headmaster had tried to excuse Harry from his exams due to his recovery. Feeling like this was unfair, Harry stubbornly refused to sit out of exams. Eventually, they struck up a compromise. Harry could take the written portion of his exams, but he could not demonstrate the practical side.

Exams had finally arrived by the middle of June and Harry felt more than ready. He knew he had gotten top marks on his written exams, but he refused to completely sit out on the demonstration. Harry could do it. He knew he could. His first opportunity to show he could still do magic was for his transfiguration final. When it was Harry's turn, he attempted to change a mouse into a teacup. He tried to transfigure the mouse into the most ornate cup he could imagine, but he nearly passed out from the effort. Professor McGonagall quickly rose to catch him. Easily transfiguring a book on her desk into a chair, she sat Harry down on it.

"Do you need to go to the Hospital Wing, Mr. Potter?" Through gritted teeth, he spat out,

"No. I'll be fine." Why was this taking so long? Why couldn't he do anything right?

 _It will be alright._ The calm voice helped even out Harry's breathing as he held his head in his hands.

"Mr. Potter, this will take time. Magical depletion is nothing to scoff at. The fact that you didn't die from it shows great strength." Harry laughed.

"Strength?!"

"Harry. It is not your fault this happened to you. What you do with this is. Your father was one of the bravest and most talented transfiguration students I've ever had the pleasure of teaching. If he could see you now-"

"Yeah, he would be so disappointed his son can't even transfigure a bloody teacup."

"What are talking about, Mr. Potter? Look," she said with a gesture. He removed his hands and glanced up at the demonstration table. There rested a perfectly transfigured porcelain teacup, just as Harry had imagined it to look like. He felt a triumphant smile stretch his face. He caught Professor McGonagall smile slightly before she returned to her examination seat. Professional once again, she wrote a few things on a piece of parchment before her and said,

"You may go." Harry collected his things and was about to excitedly race out of the room when Professor McGonagall said,

"Oh, and Mr. Potter? If your father could see you now, I am sure he would be very proud."

Unbidden, Harry's eyes grew misty and he ducked his head in thanks. He left the classroom feeling lighter than before. Professor McGonagall had helped more than she could possibly know.

-EOEOEOEOEO-

Once exams were over, the end of the year feast was set to commence. Draco and Hermione sat next to each other and bickered over who would get higher exam scores.

"Of course Harry will be the best in our year. Everyone knows it! It simply is ridiculous of you to suggest otherwise," Hermione proclaimed.

"Oh that's ridiculous?! What I think is ridiculous is someone undervaluing themselves just to be argumentative!" Gasping, Hermione exclaimed,

"How dare you! I am not being argumentative." Harry couldn't help but guffaw at that.

"Enough already! Clearly Hermione is going to be best in our year seeing as I couldn't even do half of the exams." Draco frowned at Harry's resigned look.

"Harry, the professors know about your condition. They won't let that affect your grades. Besides, why are we even arguing about this anyways?! If either of you get top of our class, I'll be a very proud friend indeed." Harry and Hermione grinned at Draco's compassion. The mood was ruined when Draco forged a fake sneer and exclaimed,

"By the way, why are we all assuming either of you two will be top of our year? I am, after all, the Pureblood Malfoy heir!" he exclaimed with false grandiose. Unfortunately, Harry had paused to take a drink of pumpkin juice and had sprayed Malfoy with the drink in his repressed mirth. Harry and Hermione immediately roared with laughter and even a few of the surrounding Ravenclaws joined in. Draco did his best to look unimpressed as he cast the scouring charm on his cloak. However, even his well practiced mask could barely hide his mirth.

The rest of the feast was rather uneventful. Ravenclaw won the house cup largely due to Harry and Hermione's exceptional school work and Draco's unmatched potions prowess. Even though Gryffindor lost by a considerable amount (the trophy room incident earlier in the year hadn't helped), Professor McGonagall still sent Harry a smile as the Ravenclaws cheered their victory.

Exam results were in right before it was time to leave Hogwarts for the summer. As expected, Hermione made top of their year, but Harry was surprised when he was right behind her. Even though Draco got above average marks he still seemed upset he hadn't gotten top of the year. When Harry pointed out Draco's grades, he muttered something that sounded like 'trolls' and 'stupid stones'.

Before Harry knew it, trunks were packed away for the trip back on the Hogwarts express. He was so ecstatic to see his family again that he wasn't even upset when the teachers handed out reminders to not use magic over the holiday. However, Draco laughed when he saw the waiver,

"As if the Ministry could detect underage magic within Malfoy Manor's wards. You _have_ to come visit Harry! Our library is massive; you would love it!" That certainly caught Harry's attention. He reassured Draco that he would definitely be visiting.

The rest of the ride on the train was spent in general merriment as they enjoyed their last moments together before they went their separate ways.

When they arrived at King's Cross, Hermione exclaimed,

"We absolutely _must_ meet up at least once this summer. Harry, you send me your schedule first since Draco will probably be on vacation to France or something-"

"Hey!"

"You are though, aren't you?"

"…Yeah." Hermione rolled her eyes and she was about to continue when Harry said,

"Hermione, no need to plan just yet! We'll just exchange owls and see how it goes from there!" Hermione bit her lip as if the idea of not planning physically pained her.

"Fine. But you had better owl me, Harry Potter!"

"Of course I will! I see my family, got to go!" They separated and went to their prospective families. While most children walked, Harry ran up to his family, joy clearly on his face. At seeing his little sister, Harry immediately felt better about his recovering magic, the many unsolved mysteries, and the last school year in general.

All three of the Lovegood family walked away toward the floo exit. However, Harry looked back one last time and caught the calculating look of Lord Malfoy. His steely gray eyes pierced Harry with such malice that Harry physically paused in his steps. Harry could understand the pureblood lord's hatred but there was something else was there in his eyes though. Something calculating. Something deadly. Before Harry could put his finger on it, Lucius Malfoy looked away.

Immediately, Harry was reminded that Voldemort was still out there, he was still in danger, and next school year would be here sooner than he would like. He shook his head to clear his mind of such negative thoughts. It wasn't as if next year could be any worse than last year.

-EOEOEOEO-

 _Three Months Earlier_

The darkness of a moonless night revealed nothing as the pureblood Lord Lucius Malfoy looked out onto his manor's grounds. There was a certain buzz of magic in the air that Lucius could not identify. However, he knew from experience that it could mean something important had happened or something important would happen soon. He scoffed at his fanciful thoughts and turned away from the window of his study. He returned to the large stack of paperwork on his desk and grimaced. It was exhausting keeping the minister as his puppet. He had bills to push through, creature rights act to shut down, and many other agendas to attend to. However much he hated his plethora of paperwork, he loved what it represented. Power. If he was a musician, this was his Stradivarius and all of the wizarding world would hear him play. At that thought, he smirked and continued signing parchment and reading rolls upon rolls of legal jargon.

Lucius' work was interrupted when a particularly powerful breeze opened the window with a loud bang. His surprise quickly hidden behind his perfect mask, Lucius coolly got up and closed the window. Immediately, he could tell something was wrong. There was a malignant presence in the air. It reeked of power and dark magic. Lucius had not felt such a presence since-

" _Luuuuuuciusssss."_ The whisper jarred him enough that he quickly drew his wand.

"Show yourself. I command you." Suddenly, Lucius' trunk started rattling. He tilted his head in confusion. This trunk held his most prized possessions that needed the greatest amount of protection. How could something be inside. He approached slowly with caution as the trunk continued to shake. He wordlessly cast of the multiple protective wards and used his wand to open the trunk from a distance.

A shield charm ready on his lips, he waited for something to happen. Nothing happened. Perplexed, Lucius stomped over to the trunk but reeled back when he saw his most important and most feared object. It was glowing. He watched it until the glow faded and he tentatively drew it out and set it on his desk. Though there was no wind, the pages of the diary flew open to a page somewhere in the middle. Getting as close as he dared, he saw elegant scrawled handwriting that he had not read in eleven years.

 _Lucius,_

 _Plans have changed. The light is stronger than I had expected. We will need to be more cautious than ever. However, the Potter boy must die. We can accomplish great things, you and I. You must do exactly as I say…_


End file.
